THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


• 


MRS.  ALMA  WHITE,  A.  1'.. 


TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN 
FICTION 


By  MRS.  ALMA  WHITE,   A.  B. 


....  Author  of  .... 


Looking  Back  from  Beulah,  Gems  of  Life,  Golden  Sun 
beams,  Demons  and  Tongues,  The  Chosen  People,  My  Trip 
to  the  Orient,  The  New  Testament  Church,  (2  -volumes), 
The  Titanic  Tragedy— God  Speaking  to  the  Nations,  and  Ed 
itor  of  -Pillar  of  Fire,  Pillar  of  Fire  Junior,  London  Pillar  of 
Fire,  The  Good  Citizen,  and  The  Metropolitan. 


Q 


PUBLISHED  BY 

THE  PENTECOSTAL  UNION 

(Pillar  of  Fire) 

ZAREPHATH,  -  NEW  JERSEY 

1913 


Copyright,  1913,  by  Mrs.  Alma  White,  A.  B. 


PS 


PROV.    29:1 


550302 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  I 

BEGINNING  OF  AN    INTERESTING  STORY 

My  First  Trip  West — Bannack,  the  First  Capital 
of  Montana — Early  Western  Architecture — Cowboys 
— Stage  Ride — Features  of  Western  Life — Town  Gos 
sips — A  Special  Call — Trying  Times — How  Fortunes 
were  Made — Spiritual  Conditions — Tragedies  near 
Dillon. 

CHAPTER  II 

FURTHER  LABORS  ON  THE  FRONTIER 

Holding  up  the  Standard — An  Unfortunate  Deed 
— The  Powers  of  Darkness  Enraged — Suffering  Re 
proach — Removal  to  Colorado  and  Marriage — A  Call 
to  Preach — Healed  of  Physical  Ailments — Another 
Call  to  Montana — Difficulties  in  the  Way — Revival  at 
Dillon — A  Holiness  Band  Organized — Opposed  by 
Preachers — A  Mad  Methodist. 

CHAPTER  III 

MY  MISSION  TO  MONTANA 

Let  my  People  go — The  Plagues  of  Egypt — Con 
sequences  of  Rejecting  God — God's  Hand  upon  the 
People  of  Southern  Montana — "Grandpa"  Bridwell 
Translated — His  Preparation — "Let's  go  Home." 


CONTENTS 
CHAPTER  IV 

THE   LAMONT   TRAGEDY 

Blanch  Lamont  Foully  Murdered — Comments 
from  Newspapers — Roger  Lamont  Shot  in  Breast. 

CHAPTER  V 

THE   DEATH    OF    SOME    OLD-TIMERS 

Stricken  with  Paralysis — Killed  by  an  Engine — 
Thrown  from  a  Wagon — Died  in  New  York — An  Old 
Citizen  Passes  Away — The  Funeral — Shot  Himself. 

CHAPTER  VI 

FURTHER   ACCOUNTS   OF    SUDDEN    DEATHS   TAKEN    FROM 
DILLON    TRIBUNE   AND   DILLON    EXAMINER 

Died  of  Diphtheria — Another  Sad  Death — Killed 
in  a  Fight — Death  by  Suicide — Accidentally  Killed — 
Fell  from  Wagon  and  Died — Brewer  Dies — A  Ver 
dict  of  Manslaughter. 

.       CHAPTER  VII 

OLD    CHURCH    APOSTASY 

Opposition  to  Holiness — Church  Machinery — Re 
vivals — Opening  of  Bible  School — Butte,  Montana 
—Preacher  Mobbed  at  Dillon — Fight  Against  Holiness 
—A  Preacher's  Guilt — Object  of  a  True  Christian — 
Wild  Beasts  Again  Aroused. 

CHAPTER  VIII 

MORE  RECENT  TRAGEDIES  AT  DILLON 

Editor  Dies — Murdered  at  Salt  Lake — High 
School  Teacher  Passes  Away — Young  Man  Murdered 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

Mrs.    Alma    White Frontispiece 

PAGE 

Cowboys   Mounting  their  Horses     -----  19 

Mountain   Express         -------  22 

Miners  Washing  Gold      ------  29 

Herd  of  Cattle  in  the  West  34 

American   Bison  40 

Squaw  from  Lemhi  Indian  Reservation  46 
Beaverhead  Rock        -------53 

Bluff  on  River  Road — Beaverhead  Valley    -      -  62 

Scene  in   the   Montana   Mountains  66 

Main   Street,  Dillon,   Montana  70 

Churches    of    Dillon          ._...-  78 

Making   Hay   Near   Dillon  84 

In  the  Rockies  90 

Flume  Near  Dillon      -  94 

A  Camp  In  the  Mountains 102 

Beaverhead  County  Court  House        -      -      -  109 

A  Bucking  Bronco 116 

Stream  Near  Dillon 123 

"They  began  Hurling  the  People  in  Every 

Direction" 133 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

In  the  Hands  of  the  Mob 

A  Herd  of  Montana  Sheep  -  ... 
Freighting  in  Montana  jet- 
Indian  Girls— Photo  taken  Near  Dillon  -  -  163 
On  the  Crest  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  -  -  170 
Mountain  Stream— Snow-Capped  Peak  in  the 

Distance       ----__  I7o 

Beautiful  Valley  in  the  Mountains       -      -      -  188 
The  Arrest  in  Front  of  the  Tabor  Grand  Opera 

House  I9g 

Pillar  of  Fire  Missionaries  in  Prison        -,      -  203 

In  the  Chamber  of  Death 2I2 

"I'll   Risk   It"                    ------  221 

The  New  Denver  Post-Office      -    -      -      -      -  230 

State   House,   Denver 2^5 

Park  Scene,  Denver      -----_  2^Q 

Effect  of  the  Earthquake,  San  Francisco  -  246 
View  from  Nob  Hill,  San  Francisco,  after  the 

Earthquake         --.... 

In  the  Business  Section  of  Cincinnati  During 

the   Flood       -  - 

Street  Scene,  Indianapolis,  During  Flood  -  -  268 
Buildings  Wrecked  by  Flood,  Dayton,  Ohio  -  274 
Vaniman's  Airship  a  few  Minutes  Before  it 

Exploded  -  28^ 

Zeppelin  "L-2"  after  the  Explosion        -      -      -    288 


Truth  Stranger  than  Fiction 

CHAPTER  I 
THE  BEGINNING  OF  AN  INTERESTING  STORY 

It  has  now  been  more  than  a  quarter  of 
a  century  since  the  writer  first  stepped  on 
Western  soil.  My  ticket  was  purchased  from 
Millersburg,  Kentucky,  to  Dillon,  a  small 
town  in  Beaverhead  County,  Southern  Mon 
tana.  Here  I  took  the  stage  for  Bannack,  the 
first  capital,  a  little  town  down  between  the 
peaks  of  the  Rockies.  Bannack,  twenty-five 
miles  from  Dillon,  was  the  scene  of  the  early 
mining  activities  in  a  once  famous  gold  mining 
district.  I  found  it  almost  deserted,  having  a 
population  of  only  two  or  three  hundred  peo 
ple. 

The  town  is  inseparably  connected  with  the 
history  of  Dillon,  as  most  of  its  early  inhab 
itants  moved  to  Beaverhead  Valley,  where 
they  engaged  in  ranching  and  stock-raising. 
Later,  the  Utah  and  Northern  Railroad  was 


TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION       16 

built,  and  other  leading  citizens  of  Bannack 
moved  into  the  valley  and  became  the  princi 
pal  promoters  and  builders  of  the  town  of 
Dillon. 

On  reaching  Dillon,  I  stopped  at  the  Cor- 
rienne  Hotel,  named  from  Corrienne,  Utah,  a 
famous  shipping  point  before  the  railroad  was 
constructed.  The  supplies  at  that  time  for 
different  points  in  Montana  had  to  be  hauled 
by  freight  wagons  a  distance  of  450  miles. 
The  hotel  was  a  rough,  plain  building,  and  had 
been  associated  with  many  mysterious  and 
sensational  events.  If  the  gruesome  history 
of  this  hotel  could  be  made  known  it  would 
make  interesting  reading. 

While  waiting  for  the  stage  I  had  the  op 
portunity  of  looking  about  and  becoming  ac 
quainted  with  the  architecture  of  the  average 
Western  town.  Frontier  towns  usually  sprang 
up  much  like  mushrooms  in  the  night.  Most 
of  the  dwellings  and  business  houses  were 
made  of  rough  logs  and  unfinished  lumber, 
with  a  square  boarded  front,  extending  as  high 
as  the  roof  would  permit.  This  added  dig 
nity  to  the  appearance  of  the  buildings,  which 
were  erected  with  a  view  to  being  replaced  by 
more  substantial  structures  when  fortune  had 


BEGINNING  OF  AN  INTERESTING  STORY    17 

smiled  more  propitiously  upon  their  owners. 

The  cowboys,  as  they  made  their  appear 
ance  at  different  times  during  the  day,  were 
the  life  of  the  town.  They  wore  broad- 
brimmed  hats,  leather  chaps,  red  kerchiefs 
around  their  necks,  and  high-heeled  boots  with 
great  spurs.  Large  revolvers  were  invariably 
a  part  of  their  equipment.  They  halted  at 
the  saloons  to  drink  and  to  obtain  a 
supply  of  liquor  to  take  with  them ;  and  would 
often  become  so  intoxicated  they  were  unable 
to  mount  their  broncoes.  They  could  be  seen 
staggering  along  the  street  and  winding  their 
way  from  one  saloon  to  another,  or  heard  mak 
ing  rude  outcries. 

Often  they  would  ride  through  the  streets 
like  a  band  of  Indians,  yelling  and  putting  the 
spurs  to  their  horses,  and  apparently  ready  to 
shoot  anyone  who  might  cross  their  pathway 
or  oppose  them. 

STAGE  RIDE  TO  BANNACK 

I  was  glad  when  the  announcement  was 
made  that  the  stage  was  ready  to  leave  for 
Bannack.  It  was  the  eleventh  day  since  I 
took  the  train  at  my  home  city  in  Kentucky. 
There  was  one  other  passenger  in  the  coach, 
a  strange  looking  man.  I  soon  learned 

TRUTH — 2. 


1 8      TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

that  he  intended  to  try  to  conceal  himself  for 
a  few  days  after  reaching  Bannack.  He  in 
sisted  on  my  not  making  known  his  identity. 

A  few  minutes  after  we  reached  our  des 
tination  he  committed  suicide  by  taking  lauda 
num.  There  was  much  excitement  when  the 
news  of  his  death  was  made  known. 

The  same  day  a  miner  was  found  dead  in 
his  cabin,  who  from  all  appearances  had  taken 
his  own  life.  Two  days  later  I  attended  the 
double  funeral  of  these  men.  Such  was  my 
introduction  to  the  Wild  West.  After  seeing 
so  much  ungodliness  on  every  hand,  I  would 
have  despaired  of  being  able  to  live  a  Chris 
tian  life  in  such  a  place,  had  it  not  been  that  I 
firmly  believed  the  promises  of  God,  who  had 
said  that  He  would  never  leave  nor  forsake 
me,  and  that  His  grace  would  be  sufficient. 

Sabbath  desecration  was  another  marked 
feature  of  early  Western  life,  almost  every  one, 
without  exception,  seemed  to  be  defiant  of 
God's  word  and  law.  People  took  all  kinds 
of  liberties,  simply  because  there  was  no  power 
to  restrain  them. 

There  was  not  a  person  at  Bannack  with 
whom  I  could  have  Christian  fellowship.  The 
people  had  become  so  depraved  that,  with  few 


n 
o 

i 

- 
o 


X 

o 

H 

w 

w 


o 

M 

C/3 

H 


2O      TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

exceptions,  they  would  mock  at  God's  word 
and  iaugh  in  derision  at  one  who  professed  to 
have  experimental  religion.  They  predicted 
that  it  would  not  be  long  until  I  would  be  like 
others,  attending  balls,  playing  cards,  break 
ing  the  Sabbath,  etc.  But  the  more  I  looked 
upon  them  in  their  revelry  and  lawlessness  the 
greater  was  my  aversion  to  such  a  life.  Their 
consciences  had  become  seared.  Some  of 
them  had  at  one  time  known  God  and  His 
power  to  save  from  sin,  but  they  leaped  over 
the  precipice  into  the  dark  current,  and  in  their 
recklessness  were  hastening  to  their  doom. 

They  had  no  conviction  of  sin;  they 
wanted  money  and  a  good  time,  and  it  did  not 
matter  much  to  them  how  they  were  obtained. 

There  were  a  number  of  town  gossipers, 
who  gathered  at  the  post  office,  the  bank  ex 
change,  or  the  store  of  general  supplies,  and 
talked  over  things  new  and  old.  There  were 
certain  ones  among  them  who  were  looked  to 
as  a  sort  of  bureau  of  information, — as  Paul 
said,  who  "spent  their  time  in  nothing  else,  but 
either  to  tell,  or  to  hear  some  new  thing"  (Acts 
17:21).  A  statement  was  made  by  one  of 
these  persons  that  the  measurement  of  the 
track  of  every  woman  who  came  to  town  was 


BEGINNING  OF  AN  INTERESTING  STORY    21 

taken,  and  therefore  the  size  of  her  shoes  was 
known.  This  may  give  some  idea  of  the  chan 
nel  in  which  their  thoughts  ran. 

Annoyed  by  reports  of  this  character  I  of 
ten  walked  through  the  alleys  instead  of  the 
streets.  It  was  no  uncommon  thing  to  hear 
fathers  teaching  their  children  to  use  profane 
language  and  putting  them  up  to  things  that 
would  eventually  lead  them  to  acts  of  crimi 
nality.  It  seemed  a  hopeless  task  to  go  into 
the  school  room  and  try  to  undo  the  wrongs 
that  parents  had  taught  their  children.  In 
brooding  over  the  situation  my  rest  at  night 
was  often  entirely  broken,  for  in  doing  what  I 
could  against  such  things  it  seemed  I  was  fight 
ing  a  losing  battle. 

A  SPECIAL  CALL 

When  converted  at  the  age  of  sixteen  the 
Lord  made  it  known  that  He  wanted  me  to 
do  a  special  work,  but  just  where  my  field  of 
labor  was  to  be  and  how  I  was  to  enter  it  re 
mained  for  the  future  to  unfold.  Three  years 
later,  when  the  opportunity  presented  itself, 
through  the  solicitation  of  an  aunt,  for  me  to 
go  to  Montana,  I  could  see  the  hand  of 
God  in  it  and  had  the  promise  that  as 
He  was  with  Abraham  so  He  would  be 


BEGINNING  OF  AN  INTERESTING  STORY    23 

with  me.  I  did  not  know  there  was  such 
a  promise  in  the  Bible  as  Genesis  12:1-2,  until 
one  night,  while  tarrying  upon  my  knees  until 
a  late  hour,  I  heard  these  words,  "Now  the 
Lord  had  said  unto  Abram,  Get  thee  out  of  thy 
country,  and  from  thy  kindred,  and  from  thy 
father's  house,  unto  a  land  that  I  will  shew 
thee.  *  *  I  will  bless  them  that  bless  thee,  and 
curse  him  that  curseth  thee."  These  words 
lingered  with  me,  and  I  would  often  ask  my 
self  the  question,  Does  God  actually  mean  to 
bless  them  that  bless  me  and  to  curse  them  that 
curse  me?  Knowing  that  His  promises  are  con 
ditional,  I  did  all  in  my  power  to  prove  faith 
ful  and  worthy  of  the  calling. 

Before  leaving  my  home  in  Kentucky  I 
had  done  my  best  to  keep  in  touch  with  God  and 
had  the  witness  of  His  approval  upon  my 
Christian  life,  and  He  alone  knew  how  fierce 
was  the  conflict  and  how  great  the  victories 
won.  I  had  ample  opportunity  to  prove  Isaiah 
59:19,  "When  the  enemy  shall  come  in  like  a 
flood,  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  shall  lift  up  a 
standard  against  him."  While  there  was  an  in 
ducement  as  a  school  teacher  to  go  West,  above 
all,  the  desire  of  my  heart  was  to  be  a  worker  in 
the  vineyard  of  the  Lord,  and  as  there  was  but 


24      TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

little  opportunity  afforded  me  at  home,  I  was 
willing  to  undergo  any  sacrifice  and  suffer 
privation  to  find  the  place  where  He  could  use 
me. 

He  saw  my  purpose  of  heart,  and  as  truly 
led  me  forth  as  He  did  Abraham.  It  is  no 
small  thing  to  be  the  object  of  God's  favor 
and  blessing.  When  Hannah  was  lifted  out 
of  the  depths  of  humiliation  in  the  gift  of  Sam 
uel,  she  said,  "Talk  no  more  so  exceeding 
proudly;  let  not  arrogancy  come  out  of  your 
mouth:  for  the  Lord  is  a  God  of  knowledge, 
and  by  him  actions  are  weighed.  *  *  * 
The  Lord  killeth,  and  maketh  alive:  he 
bringeth  down  to  the  grave,  and  bringeth 
up.  The  Lord  maketh  poor,  and  maketh  rich : 
he  bringeth  low,  and  lifteth  up.  *  *  He  will 
keep  the  feet  of  his  saints,  and  the  wicked  shall 
be  silent  in  darkness ;  for  by  strength  shall  no 
man  prevail." 

As  I  tried  from  day  to  day  to  let  my-  light 
shine,  I  found  but  little  encouragement  from 
any  one.  I  knew  that  if  God  did  not  melt 
people's  hearts,  all  of  my  efforts  to  lift  up  the 
Christian  standard  would  be  in  vain.  Against 
much  ill  will  and  opposition  I  opened  the  school 
daily  with  prayer  and  the  reading  of  the  Scrip- 


BEGINNING  OF  AN  INTERESTING  STORY    25 

tures.  In  doing  this  I  was  exceedingly  blest 
and  strengthened.  I  kept  up  this  practice  dur 
ing  the  first  term  of  school,  but  after  two  weeks 
of  the  second  term  had  passed  I  received  no 
tice  from  the  School  Board,  advising  me  to  dis 
continue  the  devotional  exercises,  and  was  giv 
en  to  understand  that  if  I  proceeded  it  would 
result  in  the  loss  of  my  position. 

I  decided  to  drop  the  exercises  for  the  rest 
of  the  term,  but  this  was  a  sad  mistake  and 
caused  me  much  sorrow  and  many  regrets. 
While  the  Lord  did  not  leave  me,  His  Spirit 
was  grieved.  I  promised  never  again  to  sac 
rifice  my  convictions,  whatever  the  cost,  and  I 
kept  my  word.  The  School  Board  did  not 
employ  me  again  as  they  promised  to  do.  I 
have  no  doubt  now  but  that  they  would  have 
done  so  if  I  had  been  true  to  my  convictions 
and  continued  to  read  the  Bible  and  pray  at 
the  opening  of  the  school  each  day,  as  I  should 
have  done.  It  was  a  severe  lesson  and  one  that 
was  never  to  be  forgotten.  I  was  without  em 
ployment  for  months,  when  I  secured  another 
school  in  Beaverhead  Valley. 

Here  I  met  many  of  the  old  settlers  of 
Bannack.  The  school  was  only  three  and  one 
half  miles  from  Dillon,  which  made  it  possible 


26      TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

for  me  to  attend  the  Sunday  services  at  the 
Methodist  Church.  I  have  no  remembrance 
of  missing  a  meeting  when  I  could  attend. 
It  was  my  purpose  to  serve  God  first,  whatever 
the  consequences  might  be.  During  my  stay 
at  Bannack  I  heard  the  history  of  nearly  all 
the  people  of  Beaverhead  Valley,  the  most  of 
whom  had  formerly  lived  at  Bannack.  I  knew 
them  almost  as  well  as  if  I  had  been  personally 
acquainted  with  them  for  years. 

Some  persons,  I  was  told,  had  made  for 
tunes  by  putting  their  own  brands  on  other 
people's  cattle,  some  had  worked  other  dis 
honest  schemes  to  accumulate  wealth.  I  saw 
the  sons  and  daughters  of  these  parents  look 
ing  over  the  list  of  leading  taxpayers  and 
boasting  that  their  fathers'  names  were  among 
them.  Their  highest- ideal  of  life  was  to  have 
plenty  of  money  and  a  good  time. 

I  found  it  utterly  impossible  to  turn  the 
thoughts  of  some  of  the  young  people  in  my 
school  into  the  right  channel.  They  had  no 
conception  of  what  constitutes  liberty  and  true 
manhood. 

I  watched  the  young  people  of  Beaverhead 
Valley  grow  up  to  the  years  of  accountability 
and  knew  that,  with  few  exceptions,  they  had 


BEGINNING  OF  AN  INTERESTING  STORY   27 

the  wrong  idea  of  life.  They  were  chips  off 
the  old  blocks  and  the  Scriptures  plainly  state 
that  the  sins  of  the  parents  will  be  visited  upon 
the  children  unto  the  third  and  fourth  gener- 
eration. 

In  the  early  days  of  the  Methodist  Church 
of  Dillon  there  were  some  signs  of  spiritual 
life,  there  were  a  few  persons  who  had  a  de 
sire  to  serve  God.  One  woman,  Mrs.  S , 

who  lived  a  short  distance  from  town,  bore 
the  fruit  of  the  Spirit,  but  she  was  powerless 
to  restrain  her  ungodly  household,  and  God, 
seeing  she  was  unable  to  stem  the  tide  of  op 
position  in  her  home  and  church,  took  her  to 
heaven.  After  her  decease  the  Methodists 
plunged  into  all  kinds  of  worldliness.  There 
were  a  few  who  made  honest  efforts  to  over 
come  the  spirit  of  the  world,  but  were  eventu 
ally  overpowered  and  gave  up  the  fight. 

An  itinerant  Methodist  preacher  Rev.  Van 
O — ,  occasionally  visited  the  town  and  commu 
nity,  and  without  a  doubt  he  was  a  converted 
man;  but  the  deadness  of  the  church  was  too 
much  for  him,  and  he  lost  his  influence  for 
good  among  the  people. 

When  I  last  saw  him,  it  was  at  a  Method- 


28      TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

ist  Conference  at  Los  Angeles,  and  oh,  what  a 
change !  He  had  been  promoted  to  the  office 
of  presiding  elder,  and  the  light  was  all  gone 
from  his  face.  His  smiles  and  shouts  of  for 
mer  years  were  gone,  and  he  was  a  mere  tool 
of  old  church  apostasy,  apparently  unconscious 
of  what  he  had  lost. 

Rev.  R — ,  a  presiding  elder  who  visited  the 
town  and  community  once  a  quarter  was  a 
gifted  speaker,  and  in  many  respects  an  inter 
esting  and  agreeable  man.  But  there  were 
stories  abroad  in  regard  to  his  ill-treat 
ment  of  his  horses,  and  also  of  his  various 
money-making  schemes.  I  attended  a  reviv 
al  meeting  that  he  conducted  at  the  Methodist 
Church,  assisted  by  Rev.  Van  O — .  Brother 
Van,  as  he  was  called,  did  most  of  the  singing, 
exhorting  and  praying,  and  Rev.  R — ,  the 
presiding  elder,  did  the  preaching.  There 
were  some  conversions.  This  was  my  first 
opportunity  to  assist  in  revival  work.  When 
the  preachers  found  that  I  would  not  refuse, 
if  called  upon  to  speak  or  pray,  they  did  not 
miss  an  opportunity  to  press  me  into  service. 

On  a  certain  evening  I  talked  and  prayed 
with  a  seeker,  she  was  very  much  distressed 
and  said  that  no  one  had  been  able  to  help  her. 


2 
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30      TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

My  efforts  were  rewarded  by  seeing  her  clearly 
converted.  A  few  weeks  later  she  died  a  tri 
umphant  death.  This  encouraged  me  to  press 
the  battle,  and  if  I  had  understood  the  faith 
life  as  I  do  now  I  should  have  resigned  my  po 
sition  as  school  teacher  and  given  all  my  time 
to  the  work  of  the  Gospel.  There  never  was 
a  moment  that  I  entertained  a  thought  of  turn 
ing  back  into  the  world.  I  had  started  to  make 
the  race  to  heaven  and  was  determined  to  do 
so  at  any  cost.  I  had  been  studying  the  Bible 
for  a  number  of  years  and  knew  that  the  Cal 
vary  route  was  one  of  separation  and  loneli 
ness,  and  I  now  felt  this  loneliness.  There 
was  a  gulf  fixed  between  me  and  most  of  the 
members  of  the  Methodist  Church,  and  it  con 
tinued  to  widen. 

They  had  erected  a  small  church  and  most 
of  the  professed  Christians  in  town  attended 
their  services.  Later,  an  Episcopal  church  was 
built  and  quite  a  number  drew  away  from  the 
Methodists  and  went  to  it.  Then  began  rival 
church  fairs,  suppers  and  teas.  The  Method 
ists  plunged  into  these  things  and  went  to 
their  full  length,  and  of  course  the  last  vestige 
of  spiritual  life  soon  disappeared.  The  minis 
ters  that  were  sent  to  the  charge  fell  in  line 


BEGINNING  >OF  AN  JNTERESTING  STORY    31 

with  them  and  tried  to  outdo  their  rivals. 

For  eight  months  I  taught  school  in  a  dis 
trict  in  the  vicinity  of  Dillon,  but  continued  to 
attend  services  at  the  Methodist  church.  Dil 
lon  was  headquarters  for  all  the  school  teach 
ers  in  the  county,  with  many  of  whom  I  was 
personally  acquainted.  Some  of  them  were 
unbelievers,  but  regardless  of  this  their  serv 
ices  were  greatly  sought  after  by  school  boards. 
School  teachers  of  this  character,  in  company 
with  members  of  the  churches,  were  leaders 
of  the  public  dances.  Often  grand  balls  would 
be  given  by  the  different  lodges  of  the  town, 
sanctioned  and  participated  in  by  Episcopal 
ians,  and  some  of  the  Methodists.  The  pro 
fession  of  such  persons  I  knew  was  a  mockery 
in  the  sight  of  God,  and  I  stood  out  alone 
against  such  hypocrisy.  I  longed  to  be  where 
I  could  have  true  Christian  fellowship. 

TRAGEDIES  NEAR  DILLON 

During  the  early  years  of  my  stay  in  Beav- 
erhead  Valley  there  were  a  number  of  trag 
ical  events,  which  were  demoralizing  in  their 
effects  on  the  public.  A  man  was  robbed  and 
murdered  between  Glendale  and  Dillon.  The 
snow  was  on  the  ground  at  the  time  the  mur 
der  was  committed  and  the  murderer  tried  to 


32      TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

burn  the  body  of  his  victim  in  the  night.  He 
succeeded  in  burning  all  but  one  limb.  Day 
broke  and  he  had  to  make  his  escape.  This 
man  was  captured  by  an  angry  mob  and  hung 
in  the  doorway  of  the  Dillon  jail.  This  and 
other  crimes  prepared  the  soil  in  the  heart: 
of  the  Dillonites  in  which  the  seed  was  sown 
for  future  outbreaks  of  lawlessness.  It  was 
several  hours  before  the  body  was  removed. 

It  is  impossible  to  estimate  the  evil  effect 
this  act  of  criminality  had  upon  the  youths  of 
the  town. 

The  following  is  reprinted  from  the  Dil 
lon  Tribune,  of  March  10,  1885. 

"JESSRANG    JERKED,    HUNG    BY    MASKED 
MEN  IN  BEAVERHEAD  COUNTY  JAIL" 

"While  the  resort  to  lynch  law  is  regretted  by  all 
law-abiding  citizens,  the  summary  hanging  of  the 
wretched  Jessrang  will  have  a  salutary  effect  in  Beav- 
erhead  County.  Since  the  days  of  the  Vigilantes  of 
Montana  there  has  been  committed  within  the  limits  of 
this  county  a  large  number  of  murders,  and  the  mur 
derers  have  not  paid  the  penalty  of  their  crimes.  It 
is  thought  the  late  necktie  tragedy  will  be  a  warning 
to  murderers  to  go  slow." 

Lynching  was  thus  publicly  endorsed. 

A  few  months  later,  while  teaching  a  ranch 


BEGINNING  OF  AN  INTERESTING  STORY    33 

school  near  the  roadside  in  the  valley,  a  can 
vas-covered  wagon  passed.  There  were  only 
two  persons  in  the  wagon ;  they  looked  out  and 
bowed  as  they  passed.  This  was  on  a  Friday 
afternoon.  Three  hours  later  I  reached  Dil- 
Jon.  At  the  supper  table  of  a  private  board 
ing  house  a  strange  man  and  woman  sat  oppo 
site  me.  The  man  was  middle-aged,  while  the 
young  woman  who  accompanied  him  was  but 
fifteen.  She  said  her  name  was  E —  C — ,  and 
that  she  was  the  niece  of  the  man,  whose  name 
was  Lewis.  She  had  long,  beautiful  hair, 
reaching  nearly  to  the  floor.  They  were 
traveling  about  the  country  giving  cheap 
shows.  The  young  woman  claimed  that  he 
was  taking  her  against  her  will  to  perform  in 
the  shows.  This  was  the  couple  that  had 
spoken  to  me  a  few  hours  before  while  pass 
ing  the  schoolhouse  on  the  way.  They  camped 
on  the  outskirts  of  the  town. 

The  young  woman  also  told  that  Mr.  Lewis 
had  threatened  her  life.  A  few  days  later  this 
man  was  seen  carrying  the  young  woman 
across  a  bridge  with  the  top  of  her  head  shot 
off.  He  claimed  she  killed  herself,  but  it  was 
shown  that  the  left  hand  barrel  of  the  shot 
gun  had  been  discharged  and  the  man  Lewis 

TRUTH — 3. 


a 
J 

H 

H 

U 

fa 

o 

Q 


BEGINNING  OF  AN  INTERESTING  STORY  35 

was  left-handed.  But  he  was  acquitted.  On 
his  release  I  remember  his  going  rapidly  to 
ward  a  freight  train  that  was  just  starting 
south.  He  leaped  on  the  rear  end  of  the  ca 
boose  and  was  soon  out  of  reach  of  mob  vio 
lence. 

Only  lately  the  Lord  has  seen  fit  to  bring 
this  horrible  crime  to  the  minds  of  the  inhab 
itants  of  Beaverhead  Valley.  Some  persons 
who  were  grading  a  road  found  the  body  of 
the  girl,  and  the  whole  story  has  been  re 
hearsed  in  the  papers. 

There  were  other  tragedies  in  and  about 
Dillon  during  my  stay  there,  the  details  of 
which  I  do  not  remember  well  enough  to  relate. 


CHAPTER  II 
FURTHER  LABORS  ON  THE  FRONTIER 

When  leaving  Kentucky  for  Montana  I 
intended  to  return  in  two  years.  As  the  time 
drew  near,  I  could  scarcely  wait.  I  left  for 
home  May  13,  1884,  after  an  absence  of  a  little 
more  than  two  years.  During  this  time  I  had 
tried  to  be  faithful  in  holding  up  the  standard 
of  salvation,  which  caused  hypocritical  pro 
fessors  to  despise  and  reproach  me.  But  I 
was  comforted  by  Luke  6:22-23,  which 
says,  "Blessed  are  ye,  when  men  shall 
hate  you,  and  when  they  shall  separate  you 
from  their  company,  and  shall  reproach  you, 
and  cast  out  your  name  as  evil,  for  the  Son  of 
man's  sake.  Rejoice  ye  in  that  day,  and  leap 
for  joy:  for,  behold,  your  reward  is  great  in 
heaven :  for  in  the  like  manner  did  their  fath 
ers  unto  the  prophets."  Thus,  in  the  midst 
of  persecution,  the  word  of  God  formed  a  pan 
oply  for  my  soul.  God's  love  burned  in  my 
heart  and  He  enabled  me  to  keep  my  garments 
spotless. 

I  profited  by  the  experience  at  Bannack 


FURTHER  LABORS  ON  THE  FRONTIER     37 

in  many  ways  and  thus  the  Lord  turned  what 
might  have  been  a  curse  into  a  blessing.  I 
wanted  to  be  among  the  number  of  whom  Jesus 
will  say,  "Well  done,  thou  good  and  faithful 
servant:  thou  hast  been  faithful  over  a  few 
things" (Matt.  25:21).  It  was  no  small  under 
taking  to  live  a  Christian  life  among  a  stiff- 
necked  and  rebellious  people,  but  God's  grace 
was  sufficient,  it  enabled  me  to  prove  to  them 
that  the  plan  of  salvation  is  a  success  anywhere. 

After  reaching  home  I  found  many 
changes  had  taken  place.  It  did  not  seem  like 
home  and  I  felt  that  I  was  a  pilgrim  and  a 
stranger  on  the  earth. 

The  following  year  I  attended  the  Female 
College  at  Millersburg,  my  home  town.  I  had 
some  trying  experiences,  but  came  out  on  the 
victory  side.  At  the  end  of  the  school  year  I 
was  definitely  led  to  return  to  Montana,  reach 
ing  there  July  2,  1885.  On  my  arrival  at  Dil 
lon  I  found  the  Methodist  Conference  in  ses 
sion.  The  Lord  had  been  wonderfully  blessing 
my  soul,  and  the  opportunity  was  given  me  to 
testify  before  the  ministers  of  the  Conference, 
and  I  was  rewarded  by  having  my  prayers  an 
swered  and  a  way  being  opened  for  me  to  teach 
a  summer  school  on  a  ranch.  The  ranch  be- 


38      TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

longed  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  N —  A — ,  who  were  old 
residents  of  Dillon.  Mr.  A —  took  delight  in  re 
hearsing  thrilling  stories  of  adventures  with 
wild  animals,  Indians  and  desperate  men  on  the 
frontier.  He  seemed  to  be  acquainted  with  al 
most  everybody  in  Southern  Montana  and 
hosts  of  others  in  adjoining  states.  Of  course  I 
heard  the  history  of  the  pioneers,  when  it  was 
not  particularly  interesting  to  me.  But  some 
things  were  fastened  in  my  memory,  never  to 
be  forgotten. 

AN  UNFORTUNATE  DEED 

There  was  a  young  man  about  twenty  years 
of  age,  stopping  at  this  ranch  by  the  name  of 
H —  S — ,  who  a  short  time  before  had  come 
from  Indiana.  He  had  guns  of  almost  every 
description,  and  other  weapons  of  warfare, 
stacked  up  in  his  room.  He  seemed  to  think 
that  it  was  necessary  to  have  them  to  insure 
his  safety  in  the  Wild  West.  He  listened  to 
stories  of  adventure  by  the  host  until  he  was 
almost  beside  himself.  Many  times  he  became 
so  excited  it  was  alarming.  There  was  noth 
ing  bad  about  the  young  man ;  he  was  kind  in 
his  treatment  of  every  one  and  always  ready  to 
do  a  favor. 


FURTHER  LABORS  ON  THE  FRONTIER      39 

Some  time  later  a  quarrelsome  neighbor 
came  to  the  ranch  and  entered  into*  a  contro 
versy  with  Mr.  A — .  Before  they  had  come 
to  a  settlement,  H —  S — ,  under  great  excite 
ment,  seized  a  gun  and  shot  the  intruder  in  the 
back.  The  wounded  man  lived  only  a  few 
minutes. 

The  seed  had  been  sown  in  the  young 
man's  heart  that  caused  him  to  commit  the 
crime.  He  was  tried  and  acquitted. 

A  short  time  afterwards,  Mr.  A — ,  the 
man  who  had  told  so  many  blood-curdling 
stories  of  frontier  life,  dropped  dead  while  he 
was  getting  ready  to  go  with  his  wife  to  the 
Methodist  Church. 

At  the  end  of  this  term  of  school  I  went 
to  Salt  Lake  City  to  teach  in  a  Methodist  Sem 
inary.  The  months  spent  in  Utah  were  of 
great  profit  to  me.  At  the  end  of  the  school 
year  I  returned  to  Montana,  but  not  until  after 
all  the  schools  in  the  county,  with  perhaps  one 
exception  had  been  taken.  Only  God  could 
open  a  door  for  me,  and  this  He  did  at  Lima, 
a  railroad  town  fifty  miles  south  of  Dillon. 

Before  beginning  this  school  the  Lord 
marvelously  healed  me  of  malarial  fever  and 
encouraged  me  in  many  ways. 


FURTHER  LABORS  ON  THE  FRONTIER    41 

At  Lima  the  powers  of  darkness  combined 
against  me,  they  were  enraged  because  I 
opened  the  school  with  prayer  and  the  reading 
of  the  Scriptures.  The  enemy  Satan  used 
was  the  chairman  of  the  school  board,  who 
stirred  up  the  most  ungodly  element  in  the 
town  to  vote  in  favor  of  a  man  for  school 
trustee  who  would  oppose  me  and  employ  an 
other  teacher.  But  his  scheme  did  not  suc 
ceed,  and  in  a  most  remarkable  way  God  de 
feated  all  Satan's  plans  in  the  combination  that 
had  formed  against  me. 

During  the  school  year  I  made  frequent 
trips  to  Dillon,  and  in  this  way  kept  in  touch 
with  things  that  were  going  on  in  and  about 
the  place.  If  I  walked  down  the  street  all  eyes 
were  upon  me  and  usually  some  remarks  would 
be  overheard  about  my  Christian  profession. 
It  seemed  my  presence  made  people  uncomfort 
able.  There  were  times  when,  to  avoid  com 
promising,  I  had  to  rebuke  those  who  claimed 
to  be  my  friends.  I  was  called  "Old  Chris 
tian  ;"  some  would  say,  "She  is  too  good  to  live, 
she  would  better  die  and  be  done  with  it."  Of 
course  such  remarks  were  not  pleasant,  espe 
cially  when  there  was  not  one  person  with 
whom  I  could  have  true  Christian  fellowship. 


42      TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

At  Lima  I  taught  the  children  more  than 
forty  hymns,  without  molestation  on  the  part 
of  the  Board  of  Trustees.  I  also  prayed  and 
read  the  Bible.  After  my  experience  at  Ban- 
nack  I  determined  to  keep  the  smile  of  God 
upon  me  regardless  of  consequences. 

I  started  a  Sunday-school  and  had  the 
Methodist  minister  from  Dillon  preach  occa 
sionally  on  week  nights.  Later,  through  his 
efforts,  a  Methodist  church  was  built  at  Lima. 
Having  gained  a  victory  in  the  school  elec 
tion  the  Board  very  much  desired  my  services 
the  next  year,  but  having  other  plans  I  de 
clined. 

Following  the  close  of  the  school  at  Lima  I 
taught  a  summer  term  at  Red  Rock,  a  station 
half  way  between  Lima  and  Dillon. 

In  the  fall  I  went  to  Denver,  Colorado, 
feeling  that  if  I  ever  returned  to  Montana  it 
would  not  be  as  a  school  teacher,  but  as  a  mis 
sionary  or  preacher  of  the  Gospel.  The  fol 
lowing  December  my  marriage  took  place  to 
Rev.  Kent  \Yhite,  a  ministerial  student  in  the 
University  of  Denver.  I  had  met  Mr.  White 
five  years  before  at  Bannack.  I  truly  believed 
that,  after  years  of  waiting,  God  had  ordered 
our  union,  and  had  no  hesitancy  in  taking  the 


FURTHER  LABORS  ON  THE  FRONTIER    43 

step.  Five  years  as  the  wife  of  an  itinerant 
Methodist  preacher  quickly  passed,  three 
years  and  a  half  of  which  I  was  almost  an  in 
valid.  At  last  I  was  brought  to  the  place 
where  I  realized  that  my  affliction  had  been 
permitted  for  the  purpose  of  bringing  me  to 
see  the  carnal  nature  in  my  own  heart,  and  de 
sire  its  destruction  above  all  things.  There 
was  a  gradual,  yet  sudden  revelation  of  its 
presence.  I  saw  its  loathsomeness,  and  longed 
for  purity  of  heart.  I  greatly  desired  the  lib 
erty  of  the  Spirit,  and  had  long  been  kept  in 
unwilling  bondage. 

Two  years  before,  for  a  time,  I  lingered  on 
a  sick  bed  between  life  and  death. 

During  this  time  I  had  a  definite  call  to 
preach  the  Gospel,  but  hesitated  because 
of  a  feeling  of  unfitness.  When  life  was  al 
most  despaired  of  and  I  realized  there  was  no 
help  but  from  above,  my  faith  claimed  the 
promise  and  the  Lord  raised  me  up,  never  to 
be  the  same  person  again.  For  nearly  two 
years  I  battled  against  the  powers  of  darkness 
and  made  every  effort  to  keep  from  letting 
down  the  standard.  The  enemy  often  came  in 
like  a  flood,  but  God's  grace  was  sufficient  even 
then  to  keep  me  from  throwing  up  my  confi- 


44      TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

dence.  \Yith  no  one  to  look  to  for  spiritual 
help  I  was  left  to  fight  my  battles  alone  and 
when  I  seemed  to  be  going  down  into  the 
fathomless  depths  of  uncertainty  I  found  my 
feet  were  suddenly  placed  on  solid  rock. 

Through  many  and  varied  experiences  I 
was  finally  led  to  the  place  where  I  was  actually 
delivered  from  the  carnal  mind,  and  oh,  what 
a  flood  of  light  penetrated  the  inner  chambers 
of  my  soul.  The  blood  was  applied  the  sec 
ond  time  and  I  was  sanctified  wholly.  All 
doubts  and  fears  were  swept  away.  This 
was  the  i8th  of  March,  1893,  fifteen  years 
after  my  conversion.  Nothing  short  of  the  ac 
tual  experience  will  enable  one  to  realize  what 
it  means  to  be  delivered  from  the  carnal  mind. 
The  mists  and  shadows  that  hang  over  a  per 
son  in  the  justified  state  vanish  like  clouds 
from  the  top  of  a  mountain. 

After  many  hours  of  fasting  and  prayer 
and  waiting  upon  the  Lord,  suddenly  the 
change  came.  There  was  a  complete  trans 
formation.  My  spiritual  vision  became 
clear,  there  was  no  difficulty  in  telling  where 
others  stood.  With  this  new  vision  I  could 
pierce  to  the  depths  of  the  carnal  heart  and  lo 
cate  false  professors.  I  did  not  know  how  far 


FURTHER  LABORS  ox  THE  FRONTIER    45 

the  churches  had  drifted  from  the  old  land 
marks  until  after  I  was  sanctified.  I  knew 
that  the  power  that  moves  the  universe,  and 
which  will  bring  all  things  into  subjection  to 
Christ,  had  taken  possession  of  me  and  claimed 
my  heart  as  the  temple  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  To 
be  the  temple  of  the  living  God  was  almost  be 
yond  my  comprehension,  yet  I  dared  not  doubt 
it,  when  His  word  plainly  says,  "Know  ye  not 
that  ye  are  the  temple  of  God,  and  that  the 
Spirit  of  God  dwelleth  in  you?"  (i  Cor.  3:16). 
And  also,  "What?  know  ye  not  that  your  body 
is  the  temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost  which  is 
in  you,  which  ye  have  of  God,  and  ye  are 
not  your  own?"  (i  Cor.  6:19).  I  had  met 
the  conditions  and  actually  received  the  Holy 
Spirit,  and  had  the  assurance  that  from  thence 
forth  I  should  have  divine  wisdom  and  help 
such  as  I  had  never  before  experienced.  I 
lived  every  moment  with  a  realization  of  God's 
actual  presence  in  my  heart,  and  while  within 
myself  I  knew  that  I  could  do  nothing,  with 
Paul  I  could  say,  "I  can  do  all  things  through 
Christ  which  strengthened  me." 

I  could  no  longer  enjoy  the  services  in  the 
M.  E.  Church,  knowing  how  far  they  had 
drifted  from  New  Testament  principles. 


SQUAW     FROM     LEMHI     INDIAN     RESERVATION 


FURTHER  LABORS  ON  THE  FRONTIER    47 

Three  weeks  after  I  was  sanctified  I 
sought  definitely  to  be  healed  of  physical  ail 
ments  and  was  enabled  to  lay  hold  on  the 
promises  of  God  for  deliverance.  Every  one 
who  had  known  me  marveled  at  the  change. 
God's  Spirit  was  manifested  in  our  home,  in 
the  meetings  and  in  fact  everywhere  I  went. 
When  special  anointings  came  upon  me  to 
preach,  space  seemed  to  disappear  and  I  felt 
as  if  I  were  in  touch  with  the  upper  world. 
My  hands  often  would  be  cold  and  circula 
tion  hindered,  even  the  laws  of  gravitation 
seemed  to  have  but  little  power  over  me. 

Hard-hearted  men  and  women  were 
brought  under  conviction,  and  often  yielded  to 
God  and  obtained  mercy. 

Meanwhile  the  battles  grew  fiercer  and 
the  'attacks  of  the  enemy  more  violent.  At 
times  it  was  nothing  less  than  a  pitched  battle, 
but  I  was  brought  out  more  than  conqueror. 
I  had  my  household  duties  and  two  children  to 
care  for,  but  did  not  permit  my  hands  to  be  tied 
by  "these  things  and  continued  in  active  work. 
Persons  would  knock  at  the  door  before  break 
fast  in  the  morning,  desiring  spiritual  help. 
Often  they  had  spent  sleepless  nights,  and  find- 


48      TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

ing  no  relief  had  come  to  be  prayed  with  and 
instructed. 

The  holy  fire  spread  over  other  states  and 
many  were  inquiring  the  way  of  life. 

After  receiving  the  Holy  Ghost  the  Lord 
gave  me  another  definite  call  to  Montana.  I 
left  the  children  at  home  in  the  care  of  their 
father,  my  mother  and  others.  I  was  ac- 
panied  by  my  youngest  brother,  then  a  Method 
ist  preacher  in  Colorado. 

For  more  than  a  year,  Ray,  our  youngest 
child  had  been  sick.  He  had  been  given  up  a 
time  or  two  by  the  physicians  to  die.  But  each 
time  his  life  was  spared  in  answer  to  prayer. 
For  months  he  had  been  a  constant  care  and 
often  looked  more  like  he  was  dead  than  alive. 
He  was  just  beginning  to  recover  from  his 
long  illness  when  God  called  me  to  make  an 
other  trip  to  Montana.  To  leave  him  in  care 
of  others  was  almost  like  taking  a  mother's 
heart  from  her  body,  but  the  Lord  had  spoken 
and  it  would  have  been  perilous  to  disobey.  It 
was  no  more  than  He  required  of  others,  and 
why  should  I  have  any  controversy. 

A  picture  of  lost  souls  at  Bannack  and  Dil 
lon  wras  brought  before  me  and  I  realized  in 


FURTHER  LABORS  ON  THE  FRONTIER    49 

part  what  perdition  would  be  for  those  who  re 
fused  to  accept  the  message. 

Before  leaving  Kentucky  the  first  time, 
as  before  stated,  the  Lord  had  said  to  me, 
"I  will  bless  them  that  bless  thee,  and  curse  him 
that  curseth  thee."  My  work  was  not  yet  ac 
complished  in  Montana  and  there  was  still  an 
opportunity  for  the  people  to  accept  Christ 
through  the  ministry  of  a  child  of  God.  In 
and  about  Dillon  I  had  many  relatives, — a 
brother,  sister,  aunts,  nephews,  nieces  and 
cousins,  and  some  time  afterwards  my  father 
came,  and  later,  a  nephew,  a  son  of  my  eldest 
sister,  who  had  died  some  years  before  in  the 
triumphs  of  the  Christian  faith.  She  left  a 
husband,  four  sons  and  three  daughters.  She 
was  not  a  Christian  in  name  only,  but  had  ex 
perimental  religion,  with  a  real  heart  interest 
in  the  spiritual  welfare  of  her  children,  and  be 
lieved  that  in  some  way  God  would  take  care 
of  them.  Her  greatest  struggle  was  to  leave 
them  in  a  godless  world  without  a  mother's 
care,  but  during  her  illness  became  perfectly 
submissive  to  the  will  of  God.  Before  she 
passed  away  her  face  lighted  up  with  the  glory 
from  the  upper  world.  She  had  the  assurance 

TRUTH — 4. 


50      TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

that  the  Lord  would  undertake  in  behalf  of 
her  family. 

My  uncles  and  aunts,  residing  in  and  about 
Dillon,  were  brought  up  on  my  grandfather's 
farm  near  the  Bethel  M.  E.  Church  in  Lewis 
County,  Kentucky.  It  was  impossible  for  them 
to  get  away  from  their  early  Christian  in 
fluences,  and  if  God  did  not  answer  prayer  it 
would  be  useless  to  advocate  Bible  salvation. 
The  most  of  these  relatives  were  apparently 
indifferent  to  their  souls'  salvation,  but  God 
reined  some  of  them  up  and  caused  them  to 
repent  of  their  sins  and  change  their  ways  of 
living. 

DIFFICULTIES  IN  THE  WAY 

In  preparing  to  leave  Denver  for  this 
trip  I  had  some  very  trying  experiences. 
The  enemy  tried  to  hedge  up  the  way  of  my 
brother's  going,  but  we  succeeded  in  getting 
off. 

Somewhere  in  Wyoming  our  train  came 
to  a  sudden  stand:  till.  There  was  much  ex 
citement  over  what  might  have  been  an  awful 
collision.  Our  tram  had  come  within  a  few 
feet  of  colliding  with  a  freight  train  on  the 
main  line.  We  thanked  God  and  took  courage 
knowing  that  He  had  spared  our  lives  to  min- 


FURTHER  LABORS  ON  THE  FRONTIER     51 

ister  to  the  needs  of  the  people  of  Dillon  and 
Beaverhead  County.  I  felt  the  responsi 
bility  of  this  trip  and  the  importance 
of  being  true  to  kinsfolk  and  others.  As  I 
thought  of  the  baby  at  home,  at  times  the  sep 
aration  seemed  almost  unbearable.  But  God 
had  promised  that  His  grace  should  be  suffi 
cient,  and  I  stood  firmly  on  His  word. 
He  would  not  have  required  me  to  leave  the 
children  if  there  had  not  been  great  things  in 
volved.  There  are  no  great  achievements 
without  a  corresponding  sacrifice. 

On  reaching  Dillon  we  met  some  of  the 
members  of  the  Methodist  Church,  the  pastor 
being  absent  on  a  vacation.  There  were  at 
least  eighteen  or  twenty  constituting  the  nu 
cleus  of  the  Church,  who  unanimously  voted 
for  us  to  hold  a  meeting  for  them.  They  had  no 
idea  their  pastor  would  object,  knowing  that 
I  was  a  Methodist  and  that  my  brother  and 
husband  were  both  members  of  the  Colorado 
Conference  in  good  standing.  The  members 
of  the  Church,  however,  were  ignorant  of  the 
powers  that  swayed  and  ruled  the  Methodist 
Church,  and  at. once  wrote  to  their  pastor  and 
asked  his  consent.  His  reply  was  that  it  was 
not  an  opportune  time  for  a  revival  in  the 


52 

Church,  and  that  he  was  not  in  favor  of  the 
meeting.  Before  his  answer  came,  the 
Baptist  preacher  of  Dillon  was  negoti 
ating  for  union  services,  he  wanted  us  to 
occupy  his  church  a  part  of  the  time,  but 
when  he  found  the  Methodist  pastor  was  not 
favorable  to  the  meetings,  his  attitude  was 
entirely  changed. 

There  was  nothing  else  to  do  but  to  send 
for  our  Gospel  tent  and  put  it  up  for  services. 
It  was  the  latter  part  of  September  and  the 
weather  was  likely  to  get  cold  at  any  time. 
But  what  else  could  we  do,  there  was  no  church 
or  other  building  to  be  secured  and  God  had 
sent  us.  We  wrote  to  Colorado  for  the  tent 
and  had  it  put  up  on  the  lot  next  to  the  Baptist 
Church.  It  was  necessary  to  have  stoves  in 
order  to  keep  comfortable.  But  the  Lord  hon 
ored  our  efforts;  and  gave  us  a  wonderful 
meeting.  People  of  all  denominations  in  the 
town  and  country  attended.  Before  many 
days  the  members  of  the  Methodist  Church  had 
their  eyes  opened,  many  of  whom  I  had  known 
years  before  when  I  was  a  school  teacher 
among  them. 

At  one  time  eighteen  leading  Methodists 
including  nearly  the  entire    officiary    of    the 


FURTHER  LABORS  ON  THE  FRONTIER     53 

Church  were  at  the  altar;  some  seeking  sanc- 
tification,  others  to  be  reclaimed.  Their 
pastor  had  returned  and  become  so  alarmed 
he  was  a  regular  attendant  at  the  serv 
ices.  He  made  excuses  for  closing  the  church 


BEAVERHEAD   ROCK 

door  against  us  and  tried  to  make  the  people 
believe  that  he  was  in  sympathy  with  our 
preaching.  But  at  heart,  we  knew  that  he 
was  a  bitter  enemy.  His  own  mother-in-law 
was  among  those  who  took  an  active  part. 
She  acknowledged  that  she  had  lost  the  joy 


54      TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

out  of  her  soul  and  was  an  earnest  seeker  at 
the  altar.  She  claimed  to  get  sanctified,  and 
a  few  weeks  later  "died  very  suddenly. 

Before  opening  the  meeting  we  spent  a 
few  days  at  the  home  of  my  sister,  Mrs.  V. 
E.  Metlen,  on  a  ranch  near  Red  Rock, 
where  our  eldest  brother  had  been  stay 
ing  for  some  time.  He  was  in  a  backslid 
den  condition  and  we  had  prayed  earnestly  all 
the  way  from  Denver  for  the  Lord  to  touch  his 
heart  and  bring  him  into  the  fold.  He  con 
versed  freely  on  religious  subjects,  but  showed 
no  signs  of  repentance,  and  was  planning 
to  go  on  a  long  prospecting  tour.  It  was  sad 
to  see  him  start  on  this  journey  and  miss  what 
might  be  his  last  opportunity  of  getting  back 
to  God.  I  followed  him  to  the  wagon  with  a 
Bible  and  two  holiness  books,  and  insisted  on 
his  reading  them.  He  tried  me  with  his  in 
difference,  saying  that  he  would  take  them 
along,  but  did  not  expect  to  read  them.  To  all 
appearances  his  case  was  hopeless.  While  he 
did  not  manifest  a  bad  spirit,  he  drove  away 
without  as  much  as  saying  good-by. 

For  two  or  three  days  I  prayed  almost  in 
cessantly  for  him,  asking  the  Lord  to  let  some 
thing  happen  that  would  turn  his  face  home- 


FURTHER  LABORS  ON  THE  FRONTIER    55 

ward,  so  he  could  attend  the  services.  After 
the  revival  had  gotten  under  headway  he  made 
his  appearance,  and  admitted  that  he  had  been 
a  Jonah  and  that  he  had  had  no  peace  of  mind 
since  the  day  he  left.  He  also  said  that  he  and 
his  partner  had  had  a  falling  out,  which  was 
the  immediate  cause  of  his  returning. 

The  same  evening  without  having  him  in 
mind  I  took  Jonah  for  my  text,  and  he  ar 
rived  in  time  to  receive  his  portion.  After  at 
tending  two  or  three  services  he  left  for  my 
brother-in-law's  ranch,  but  God  was  on  his 
track,  and  he  found  no  rest  until  he  prayed 
through  and  returned  to  tell  what  wonderful 
things  the  Lord  had  done  for  him.  He  testi 
fied  as  to  how  he  had  given  up  his  tobacco  and 
had  received  the  joys  of  salvation. 

An  unsaved  uncle  living  in  the  town 
opened  his  home  and  entertained  us  during  the 
meeting.  Before  it  closed  he  and  other  mem 
bers  of  the  family  were  seekers  at  the  altar. 
In  fact,  the  whole  town  was  reined  up  and 
made  to  see  what  the  consequences  would  be  if 
they  did  not  repent.  The  terrors  of  the  law 
were  thundered,  and  men  and  women  were 
brought  face  to  face  with  death,  hell  and  the 
Judgment.  The  Spirit  of  God  was  brooding 


56      TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

over  the  place  and  mightily  pleading  with  men. 
The  things  that  were  happening  in  the  meet 
ing  were  the  subject  of  conversation  every 
where.  Many  were  getting  their  last  call, 
especially  the  old-timers,  but  they  hardened 
their  hearts  and  avoided  the  issue. 

The  ministers  did  much  to  ease  their  con 
sciences  ;  their  advice  to  their  people  was  to  not 
take  the  meetings  too  seriously,  and  in  this  way 
they  checked  the  tide  that  was  sweeping  souls 
into  the  kingdom. 

At  the  close  of  the  tent  meeting  we  organ 
ized  a  holiness  band,  consisting  mostly  of  mem 
bers  of  the  Methodist  Church.  The  meetings 
were  conducted  weekly,  in  homes  of  members 
of  the  band,  and,  in  accordance  with  our  advice, 
independent  of  the  churches.  This  stirred  up 
the  preachers  and  the  wild  beasts  determined 
to  rend  and  devour  the  flock. 

The  Methodists  especially  were  feeling 
keenly  their  loss  and  left  no  stone  unturned  to 
undo  all  the  work  we  had  accomplished  in  the 
place.  Two  years  passed  after  unceasing  and 
persistent  efforts  before  they  found  a  person 
(wolf  in  sheep's  clothing)  to  accomplish  their 
wicked  design.  Rev.  E.  G.  Catermole  was  sent 
to  the  charge.  He  attended  the  cottage  meet- 


FURTHER  LABORS  ON  THE  FRONTIER     57 

ings  and  succeeded  in  making  members  of  the 
band  believe  that  he  would  have  holiness  meet 
ings  at  the  Methodist  church,  and  that  they 
could  have  all  the  liberty  they  wanted  there  and 
continue  to  preach  and  teach  as  they  had  been 
doing,  the  only  requirement  being  that  they 
would  allow  the  meetings  to  be  under  the  super 
vision  of  the  pastor.  After  unceasing  efforts 
and  many  fair  promises  he  succeeded  in  getting 
them  to  drop  the  cottage  meetings  and  come  to 
the  church,  where  they  believed,  according  to 
his  word,  notwithstanding  that  they  had  had 
many  warnings,  that  no  restraint  would  be  put 
upon  them  and  that  they  could  go  forth  with 
the  same  freedom  they  had  during  the  two 
previous  years. 

He  captured  the  leaders  of  the  band  first 
and  they  persuaded  the  rest  to  take  the  advice 
of  the  pastor.  After  the  first  few  services  at 
the  church,  the  Rev.  Cat-or-Mole  began  to 
draw  in  the  reins  and  the  result  was  they  were 
soon  completely  under  his  control.  It  was  all 
done  so  quickly  the  members  of  the  band 
scarcely  realized  what  had  taken  place.  They 
were  neither  allowed  to  lead  the  meetings  nor 
to  testify  to  the  experience  of  holiness.  Out 
siders  of  course  took  sides  with  the  preacher 


58      TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

and  the  result  was  a  complete  collapse  of  the 
work  that  had  cost  us  so  much  to  get  started. 
In  the  wake  of  these  spiritual  disasters 
came  the  judgments  of  God  upon  the  town  and 
surrounding  country.  But  it  was  not  until 
everybody  had  opportunity  of  taking  sides  for 
or  against  the  truth.  They  deliberately  chose 
their  master.  It  was  not  long  until  there  were 
rumors  afloat  of  Mr.  Catermole's  unchristian 
and  immoral  conduct  with  women.  The  fol 
lowing  was  printed  in  the  Dillon  Tribune : — 

A  MAD  METHODIST 
Rev.  Euster  after  the  Scalps  of  Revs.  Mills 

and  Catertnole 

Rev.  W.  T.  Euster,  pastor  of  the  First  Methodist 
Church  of  Cireat  Falls  is  on  the  warpath.  He  makes 
many  charges  against  two  Methodist  ministers  who 
are  well  known  and  highly  esteemed  in  this  city.  Elder 
Mills  has  been  known  to  the  people  of  Beaverhead 
County  for  nearly  twenty  years.  Rev.  Catermole  was 
pastor  of  Grace  M.  E.  Church  for  several  years  and 
has  a  host  of  friends  in  Dillon  and  Beaverhead  Coun 
ty.  *  To  friends  of  these  men  the  charges  of  Mr. 
Euster  seem  ridiculous.  The  affair  will  be  investi 
gated  at  the  next  annual  conference,  which  is  to  be 
held  in  Missoula. 

In  an  interview,  Euster  said,  the  following  charges 
presented  by  members  of  the  Conference  against  Elder 
Mills  will  be  presented  to  the  Conference  in  August: 


FURTHER  LABORS  ON  THE  FRONTIER     59 

Corrupt  Administration,  Negligent  Administration, 
Partisan  Administration,  Imprudent  Conduct  and  Un 
christian  Conduct.  The  Rev.  E.  G.  Catermole  who 
succeeded  me  at  Anaconda  will  be  confronted  with 
three  charges:  Corrupt  Administration,  Imprudent 
Conduct  and  Unchristian  Conduct.  All  of  these 
charges  are  abundantly  substantiated  and  in  preparing 
them  no  legal  application  has  been  overlooked.  Nei 
ther  of  these  gentlemen  has  either  mental,  moral  or 
spiritual  ability.  Elder  Mills  is  independently 
wealthy  and  has  an  ungodly  ambition.  He  works  by 
the  power  of  money  and  wants  to  run  the  whole  state. 
He  hobnobs  with  rich  men  regardless  of  whether  they 
are  religious  or  not  and  is  guided  by  them  in  the 
management  of  church  work. 

The  charges  against  these  men,  the  Tri 
bune  says  "are  ridiculous,"  and  "they  have  a 
host  of  friends  in  Beaverhead  County."  It  is 
the  same  old  story,  "Crucify  Christ,  and  release 
unto  us  Barabbas." 

While  our  tent  meetings  were  in  progress 
a  well-known  druggist  was  present  for  a  few 
evenings.  The  last  meeting  he  attended  the 
subject  was  "The  Rich  Man  in  Hell,"  taken 
from  Luke  16.  This  man,  to  all  appearances, 
was  under  great  conviction.  I  had  known  him 
for  a  number  of  years  and  had  tried  to  induce 
him  to  give  his  heart  to  the  Lord.  When  I 


60      TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

left  the  tent  on  this  particular  evening  I  told 
my  brother  that  the  druggist  had  received  his 
last  call. 

A  few  weeks  later  this  man  while  in  good 
health,  so  far  as  any  one  knew,  went  out  to 
bring  in  a  bucket  of  coal.  His  wife  wondering 
what  kept  him  so  long  went  to  see  and  found 
him  lying  dead  between  the  coal  house  and  the 
back  door. 


CHAPTER  III 
MY  MISSION  TO  MONTANA 

God's  purpose  in  my  going  to  Montana 
was  similar  to  that  of  Moses  when  he  was  sent 
to  deliver  the  children  of  Israel  from  Egyptian 
bondage.  No  doubt  while  preparing  for  the 
work,  especially  during  the  forty  years  he  spent 
in  the  desert,  he  suffered  many  hardships  and 
spent  days  and  nights  in  prayer.  God  was 
preparing  to  give  birth  to  a  new  nation  in  which 
His  promise  to  Abraham  was  to  be  fulfilled. 
Moses,  under  most  peculiar  circumstances  was 
chosen  to  be  the  leader  of  His  people. 

When  he  appeared  before  Pharaoh  and 
asked  him  to  let  the  children  of  Israel  go  and 
sacrifice  to  God,  Pharaoh  said,  "Who  is  the 
Lord,  that  I  should  obey  His  voice  to  let  Israel 
go?  I  know  not  the  Lord,  neither  will  I  let 
Israel  go"  (Exodus  5:2).  But  in  spite  of  all 
his  efforts  to  hold  them  he  had  to  submit  to 
the  fiat  of  the  Almighty.  The  judgments  of 
God  broke  his  arm  of  power  and  left  his  king 
dom  in  desolation.  The  scourge  of  death 


62      TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

passed  over  the  land  and  the  firstborn  in  every 
Egyptian  home  was  slain.  God's  hand  was  so 
heavy  upon  him  he  was  urged  by  his  own  peo 
ple  to  let  Israel  go,  lest  they  should  all  be  dead 
men. 

Plague  after  plague  was  sent  upon  Egypt, 


r.u  FF  ox  RIVER  ROAD — BEAVERHEAD  VALLEY 

but  Pharaoh  continued  to  harden  his  heart. 
There  were  two  mighty  forces  operating  in  the 
contest,  but  Omnipotence  prevailed  and  a  won 
derful  miracle  was  wrought,  when  two  and  a 


MY  MISSION  TO  MONTANA  63 

half  millions  of  people  escaped  from  Egyptian 
bondage  through  a  path  in  the  sea. 

The  Egyptians  were  presumptuous  enough 
to  think  that  they  could  follow,  but  their  chariot 
wheels  dragged  heavily  through  the  sand.  The 
Lord  looked  through  the  "pillar  of  fire"  and 
troubled  the  host  of  the  Egyptians,  and  took  off 
their  chariot  wheels.  They  said,  "Let  us  flee 
from  the  face  of  Israel ;  for  the  Lord  fighteth 
for  them  against  the  Egyptians"  (Ex.  14:25). 
When  the  people  of  Dillon  were  shown  the 
awful  consequences  of  rejecting  God,  a  few  of 
them  heeded  the  warning,  and  for  a  time  their 
lives  were  changed.  But  most  of  the  people  of 
the  town  and  valley  treated  the  message  with 
indifference  and  hostility.  They  were  much  like 
Pharaoh,  they  said,  "Who  is  the  Lord?  We 
know  not  the  Lord ;  we  worship  silver  and  gold, 
the  gods  of  these  mountains  and  valleys,  and 
will  not  be  disturbed." 

But  the  same  God  that  spoke  through 
Moses  and  through  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob, 
was  speaking  to  them  through  lips  of  clay,  and 
they  knew  Him  not.  They  lifted  up  their  arms 
of  rebellion  against  Him  and  suffered  the  aw 
ful  consequences.  Oh  that  men  could  know 
the  day  of  their  -visitation  and  the 


64      TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

power  of  Omnipotence  that  would  save  them  if 
they  would  only  meet  the  conditions!  \Yith 
Him  there  is  no  variableness  nor  shadow  of 
turning.  When  He  speaks  He  must  be  obeyed 
and  every  tongue  put  to  silence. 

He  is  tender  and  compassionate  with  those 
who  heed  His  voice,  but  terrible  are  His  judg 
ments  upon  a  rebellious  and  stiff-necked  people. 

There  were  more  than  a  score  of  my  own 
relatives  in  and  about  Dillon  who  were  the  sub 
jects  of  many  prayers.  To  be  true  to  His  word 
God  must  answer  prayer,  and  it  often  has  to  be 
done  through  judgments.  He  plagued  Egypt. 
and  it  is  not  strange  that  His  wrath  should  be 
visited  upon  a  modern  city,  where  His  word 
had  been  scorned  and  His  messengers  rejected. 
Those  who  will  not  accept  mercy  must  suffer 
His  judgments.  The  Psalmist  said,  "He  will 
not  always  chide:  neither  will  he  keep  his  anger 
forever."  The  time  comes  when  His  wrath 
will  be  turned  aside,  but  not  until  after  He  has 
accomplished  His  purpose. 

Moses  continued  His  visits  to  Pharaoh 
in  behalf  of  the  children  of  Israel,  but  the  heart 
of  the  idolatrous  king  became  more  and  more 
hardened,  and  so  it  was  with  the  people  of  this 
little  city  in  Beaverhead  Valley,  with  perhaps 


MY  MISSION  TO  MONTANA  65 

less  than  two  thousand  inhabitants.  There  was 
great  destruction  in  the  wake  of  the  plagues  in 
Egypt,  so  much  so  that  the  people  of  many 
centuries  have  profited  by  the  history  of  the 
things  that  took  place. 

Coming  generations  will  read  this  book 
and  profit  by  the  rod  of  correction  that  was  laid 
upon  a  people  that  refused  to  hear  those  who 
went  to  them  with  a  message  from  the  Lord. 

Considering  the  population,  the  scourge 
of  death  has  been  far  greater  than  it  was  when 
the  firstborn  of  the  Egyptians  were  smitten  in 
Egypt. 

To  say  that  God's  hand  has  not  been  upon 
the  people  of  Beaverhead  County  of  Southern 
Montana  during  the  past  few  years  would  be 
to  deny  His  existence  and  to  make  prayer  and 
the  Bible  a  farce. 

The  writer  has  made  so  many  trips  to  that 
section  of  the  country,  the  route  has  become 
as  familiar  as  the  road  leading  to  her  home 
town.  In  each  one  of  these  visits  the  Lord  has 
had  a  specific  purpose.  To  some  a  quarter  of 
a  century  might  seem  to  be  a  long  time,  but 
with  Him  it  is  only  a  passing  moment. 

At  the  close  of  the  meeting  held  in  the  tent 
at  Dillon,  my  father,  at  the  age  of  seventy,  ar- 

TRUTH— 5. 


MY  MISSION  TO  MONTANA  67 

rived  from  Kentucky.  He  had  always  been 
an  orthodox  believer  and  years  before  was  con 
verted  in  Lewis  County,  Kentucky.  In  Mon 
tana  he  was  apparently  unable  to  stem  the  tide 
of  indifference  and  worldliness  in  the  church, 
and  lost  his  grip  on  spiritual  things.  He  was 
the  subject  of  many  earnest  prayers,  lest  he 
might  die  unprepared.  There  were  times 
when  I  had  real  travail  of  soul  for  him  and  I 
prayed  that  he  might  be  saved  at  any  cost.  The 
assurance  was  received  that  if  I  was  faithful 
my  father  would  be  brought  into  the  fold. 
In  due  time  the  Lord  brought  him  to  our 
Training  School  at  Denver,  where  he  was  re 
claimed. 

After  spending  three  years  with  us,  he 
departed  this  life,  November  iQth,  1907,  in  his 
83d  year.  The  following  account  of  his  death 
written  by  my  brother,  Rev.  C.  W.  Bridwell, 
was  published  in  the  December  4th  issue  of  the 
Pillar  of  Fire. 

"GRANDPA"  BRIDWELL  TRANSLATED 

"My  father,  William  Moncure  Bridwell, 
has  just  been  called  from  earth  to  heaven,  and 
our  hearts  are  left  in  loneliness  as  we  sit  in 
silence  and  long  to  hear  his  on-coming  foot 
falls.  He  has  gone  from  us,  not  as  the  birds 


68      TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

go  away  in  autumn  to  return  again  in  spring; 
not  as  the  ship  goes  over  the  sea  to  return  again 
after  a  pleasant  voyage;  but  he  has  gone  to 
return  no  more  forever.  He  has  made  a  voy 
age  on  the  sea  that  sends  back  no  passengers, 
but  blessed  be  God,  he  has  gone  with  a  Captain 
who  has  never  lost  one,  and  he  has  reached  the 
eternal  harbor  where  ships  go  out  no  more! 
We  thank  God  for  a  land  where  there  are  no 
more  storms  and  shadows  and  sunsets,  where 
sickness  and  sorrow  never  come  and  where 
'no  grave  digger's  spade  shall  ever  cleave  the 
sides  of  those  eternal  hills,'  and  whose  guests 
are  kings  and  priests  to  God  forever. 

"Father  was  born  in  Virginia,  April  16, 
1825,  and  departed  this  life  in  Denver,  Nov. 
19,  1907,  having  lived  more  than  twelve 
years  beyond  man's  allotted  time.  The  greater 
portion  of  his  life  was  spent  in  Kentucky. 
where  with  my  mother,  Mary  A.  Brichvell,  he 
labored  hard,  passing  through  the  struggles 
of  the  Civil  War,  and  reared  a  large  family  of 
children ;  nine  are  still  living,  among  whom  are 
Mrs.  Alma  White  and  the  writer.  Twelve 
years  ago  he  went  to  Montana  to  live  with  a 
married  daughter  and  remained  there  until 
about  three  years  ago,  when  he  came  to 


MY  MISSION  TO  MONTANA  69 

Denver,  and  has  since  been  living  in  the  Bible 
School.  Here  God  has  made  him  a  special 
blessing  to  all  the  students  and  workers.  He 
was  a  great  lover  of  children,  and  the  young 
people  were  drawn  to  him  naturally  and  made 
him  their  friend — his  grandchildren  especially 
will  miss  him,  among  them  my  own  two  little 
ones  to  whom  he  was  strongly  attached. 

"\Ve  had  no  idea  that  his  end  was  so  near 
at  hand.  He  had  contracted  a  severe  cold 
about  two  weeks  before,  which  settled  on  his 
lungs;  through  careful  nursing,  a  hopeful 
crisis  was  reached  and  he  became  convalescent. 
None  of  us  anticipated  any  serious  results  until 
Sunday  morning,  when  we  found  that  there 
had  been  a  relapse.  As  some  of  us  gathered 
around  his  bedside  for  a  season  of  prayer,  the 
thought  swept  over  the  writer  with  startling 
effect  that  Father  was  not  long  for  this  world. 
We  saw  that  he  was  gradually  growing 
weaker.  The  end  came  on  Tuesday  morning 
when  his  heart  ceased  to  beat,  and  his  soul  went 
home  to  be  forever  with  the  Lord. 

HIS    PREPARATION 

"Father  was  converted  when  a  young  man 
and  knew  something  of  the  life  and  power  that 
characterized  Methodism  in  that  day.  Owing 


MY  MISSION  TO  MONTANA  71 

to  the  many  evil  surroundings  and  to  the  fact 
that  he  had  very  little  Christian  help,  his  early 
Christian  life  was  vacillating.  Still  there  was 
generally  a  family  altar  in  the  home  and  the 
children  were  brought  up  to  fear  God  and  keep 
His  commandments.  From  his  earliest  child 
hood,  my  father  believed  the  Bible  to  be  the  in 
spired  word  of  God  and  never  failed  to  express 
himself  as  to  the  eternal  verities  of  the  Chris 
tian  faith.  He  taught  his  children  that  to 
commit  sin  is  to  take  the  track  that  leads  to 
despair  and  death.  As  a  father  he  was  always 
affectionate  and  did  his  best  to  instill  in  his 
children  the  principles  of  integrity,  honesty  and 
benevolence.  No  one  was  ever  turned  away 
from  his  door  having  been  refused  hospitality. 
While  holding  revival  meetings  in  Montana  it 
was  our  privilege  to  see  him  renew  his  covenant 
with  the  Lord  and  to  enter  again  with  renewed 
energy  into  His  service. 

"He  came,  in  the  providence  of  God,  to  the 
Bible  School,  and  while  receiving  much  soul 
help,  he  was  made  a  great  blessing  to  the  rest 
of  us.  As  the  months  passed  by,  we  saw  him 
ripening  for  the  spirit  world.  Frequently 
he  would  write  a  brief  article  on  some  religious 
subject  and  hand  it  to  us  for  inspection;  we 


72      TRUTH.  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

have  a  number  of  them  that  have  not  been 
printed  which  we  may  -ome  time  publish. 
1  hiring  his  last  hours  he  had  an  increasing  de 
sire  to  depart  and  be  with  Christ,  and  when  we 
would  express  our  unwillingness  to  see  him  go, 
he  never  failed  to  encourage  us  and  to  cheer 
our  hearts  with  the  wonderful  prospects  lie 
held  in  view. 

"1  Hiring  all  of  the  last  night  we  remained 
by  his  bedside  singing,  praying  and  conversing 
with  him  and  doing  what  we  could  to  minister 
to  his  needs.  At  times  he  seemed  to  suffer 
greatly,  but  he  told  us  that  if  he  was  suffering 
he  did  not  know  it.  Never  before  did  the  Lord 
in  so  precious  to  me  as  when  we  sat  by  his 
bedside  and  saw  the  life  force-  ebb  away. 
.\bont  midnight,  as  we  prayed  we  felt  a  cri-is 
was  coning;  suddenly  calling  me  to  his  bed.  he 
told  me  his  limbs  were  getting  cold.  \Ve  called 
in  other  members  of  the  family  and  with  them 
gathered  around  him  and  sang  and  prayed  and 
shouted  until  he  had  crossed  over.  Never  -hall 
1  forget  these  hours  of  waiting  when  the  very 
doors  and  window-  of  heaven  were  opened 
above  n-  and  the  gate-  of  pearl  were  almost  in 
view.  As  we  sang  some  familiar  hymn,  my 
father's  face  would  light  up.  and  as  long  as  he 


MY  MISSION  TO  MONTANA  73 

was  able,  hallelujahs  broke  forth  from  his 
lips;  then  when  he  was  too  weak  to  talk,  he 
would  wave  his  handkerchief  and  in  other 
ways  express  his  triumph.  About  two  weeks 
before,  Mrs.  White  had  written  a  song,  enti 
tled,  THE  SKY  is  CLEAR  ABOVE/  which  the 
Lord  had  designed  for  this  occasion : 

'The  sky  is  clear  above  me,  my  path  is  shining  bright, 
\Yhile  trusting  in  my  Savior,  He  gives  me  wondrous 

light ; 
Xo  more  the  mists  and  shadows  are  hanging  o'er  my 

way, 

\Yhere    Beulah's    sun   is    shining,   the   shadows    flee 
away. 

CHORUS  : 

'The  angel  bands  are  coming,  I  hear  them  far  away, 

To  take  me  to  that  city,  w^here  all  is  perfect  day ; 

The  sky  is  clear  above  me — I  hear  their  harps  of 
gold— 

I  soon  shall  join  their  number  and  see  the  gates  un 
fold. 

'My  heart  is  light  as  springtime,  the  sky  is  clear  above, 
My  days  are  full  of  sunshine,  I'm  resting  in  His  love ; 
All  nature  sings  His  praises,  since  in  my  heart  He 

lives, 
And  peace  that  passeth  knowledge,  to  me  He  evrr 

gives. 


74      TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

'I  heard  the  old,  old  story,  how  Jesus  saves  from  sin, 
When  all  I  yielded  to  Him,  the  light  came  streaming 

in; 
I  knew  not  how  to  love  Him,  my  heart  was  dark  and 

cold, 
Until  I  heard  the  story  the  prophets  long  foretold. 

'I  know  a  band  of  angels  to  earth  will  wing  their  flight, 
And  take  me  to  that  city  where  Jesus  is  the  light ; 
He  promised  to  be  with  me  until  this  life  is  o'er, 
And  then  beyond  the  portals  I'll  dwell  forever  more.' 

"As  we  sang  over  and  over  the  verses  of 
this  song,  his  imprisoned  soul  appeared  to 
catch  visions  of  the  heavenly  city,  and  as  we 
repeated  the  chorus,  he  evidently  saw  and  real 
ized  the  presence  of  the  angels  in  a  deeper 
sense  than  the  rest  of  us  possibly  could.  At 
one  time  he  reached  out  his  hand  as  if  he  had 
gotten  a  glimpse  of  departed  loved  ones,  or  a 
convoy  of  angels.  While  singing  another 
hymn  about  'Going  Home/  he  glanced  at  the 
nurse  and  asked  her  if  she  was  going  too,  and 
about  the  last  words  he  spoke  to  the  writer 
were, 

'LET'S  GO  HOME.' 

"How  blessed  it  is  to  realize  that  our  real 
life  begins  at  death  and  our  real  home  is  not 
earth,  but  heaven !  A  number  of  times  he  took 


MY  MISSION  TO  MONTANA  75 

our  hands  and  said  we  would  meet  again  in 
the  long  tomorrow  and  live  together  forever. 
He  remained  conscious  to  the  very  end.  The 
final  moment  came  and  he  breathed  his  last, — 
we  saw  not  the  angels,  neither  did  we  hear  the 
rustle  of  their  wings,  yet  we  were  conscious 
that  they  were  there  and  that  his  immortal 
spirit  was  being  carried  by  them  to  the  city  of 
God. 

"We  laid  his  body  to  rest  in  Fairmount 
Cemetery  to  await  the  arch-angel's  trump, 
when  the  corruptible  bodies  of  those  who  sleep 
in  Jesus  shall  be  changed  and  made  like  unto 
His  own  glorious  body.  There  is  no  significance 
to  the  Gospel  if  the  resurrection  be  eliminated. 
The  New  Testament  is  luminous  with  this  glo 
rious  hope  and  affords  the  child  of  God  comfort 
in  the  darkest  hour.  The  body  is  to  be  raised 
incorruptible,  and  'it  doth  not  yet  appear  what 
we  shall  be ;  but  we  shall  be  like  him.'  The  glo 
rified  body  will  not  be  subject  to  disease  and 
decay,  but  will  flourish  in  immortal  youth. 
Sorrow  and  care  that  have  sat  on  the  shoul 
ders,  bowing  the  form  down  to  the  earth,  will 
have  no  place  in  the  resurrection.  'It  doth 
not  yet  appear  what  we  shall  be,'  but  with  a 
glorified  body  the  soul  shall  sweep  on  and  on 


76      TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

in  its  tireless  flight,  keeping  pace  with  the  eter 
nal  years  of  God.  The  curse  of  sin  shall  have 
been  forever  lifted  and  all  earthly  restrictions 
and  limitations  will  be  gone  forever.  \Ye  have 
read  of  the  white  albatross  of  the  S<  »uihern  I  'a 
cific  Ocean  which  has  the  power-  to  float  on 
the  air  for  one  solid  week  without  perceptibly 
moving  its  pinions.  On  and  on  she  goes,  sail- 
the  upper  deep,  impelled  by  a  strange  puwer 
within.  This  is  a  faint  picture  of  the  onward 
trend  and  upward  sweep  of  the  soul  as  it  enter- 
upon  immortality.  Reader,  the  time  is  not  far 
distant  when  we  shall  be  called  to  another 
\\orld.  If  this  life  has  been  a  preparation  for 
the  departure,  then  death  will  be  the  begin 
ning  of  an  endless  triumph. 

'On  the  cold  cheek  of  death  smiles  ami  roses  are 

blending, 
And  beauty  immortal  awakes  from  the  tomb.' 

May  God  grant  that  it  may  be  so." 


CHAPTER  IV 
THE  LAMONT  TRAGEDY 

In  the  spring  of  1895,  following  the  tent 
meeting  held  the  previous  fall,  the  whole  coun 
try  was  stirred  over  the  Durant  murder  case 
in  San  Francisco.  The  body  of  Blanch  La- 
mont  was  found  in  the  tower  of  a  Baptist 
church.  The  news  of  the  murder  was  her 
alded  around  the  world  as  one  of  the  most 
sensational  tragedies  on  record. 

Blanch  was  the  daughter  of  David  La- 
mont  of  Dillon,  who  died  suddenly  about  three 
years  previous  to  her  death.  I  was  acquainted 
with  him  before  he  brought  his  family  to  Mon 
tana.  He  was  superintendent  of  the  Meth 
odist  Sunday-school.  I  supposed  he  was  a 
converted  man,  but  he  left  the  Methodist 
Church  and  helped  to  organize  a  Presbyterian 
Church.  There  were  only  a  few  persons  in 
the  place  that  were  interested  in  spiritual 
things,  and  certainly  not  enough  to  divide  up 
into  different  factions.  His  family  seemed  to 
be  the  leaders  in  this  move  at  that  time.  To 
all  appearances,  the  Methodist  Church  was  too 


THE  LAMONT  TRAGEDY  79 

humble  a  place  for  them.  They  needed  more 
room  for  the  display  of  worldliness  and  pride. 
Every  member  of  his  family,  including  rela 
tives,  was  utterly  ignorant  of  salvation.  They 
wanted  to  be  leaders  in  society,  and  while  they 
had  but  little  of  this  world's  goods  they  made 
a  desperate  struggle  to  keep  up  appearances. 
I  knew  a  family  of  this  character  in  my 
girlhood  days  in  Kentucky.  They  were  great 
church  folk,  but  pride,  like  a  cancer,  gnawed 
at  the  vitals  of  their  lives  and  defeated  all  good 
that  they  might  have  accomplished.  Jesus 
said,  "Every  one  that  exalteth  himself  shall  be 
abased,"  and  truly  God's  word  has  never  failed. 
"The  proud  he  knoweth  afar  off." 

Mr.  Lament  was  a  sociable,  congenial 
man,  and  was  capable  of  doing  much  good  in 
any  community.  He  served  in  the  Civil  War, 
and  no  doubt  at  one  time  had  salvation. 
He  worked  hard  to  make  a  living  for  his  fam 
ily,  and  to  keep  up  their  social  standing.  At 
the  time  of  his  death  he  was  postmaster  at 
Dillon. 

At  the  time  of  our  Gospel  meeting,  his 
daughter  Blanch  had  just  recovered  from  a 
spell  of  fever  in  which  her  life  had  been  almost 
despaired  of,  but  she  and  other  members  of  the 


So      TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

family,  living  only  a  short  distance  from  the 
lent,  failed  to  make  their  appearance.  Evi 
dently  it  was  pride  that  kept  them  away  and  i  i 
they  had  yielded  to  the  solicitation  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  Blanch  would  have  never  made  the  trip 
to  California  which  resulted  in  such  a  shameful 
and  tragical  death. 

The    following   appeared    in    the   Dillon 
Examiner,  of  April  i/th,  1895. 

FOULLY  MURDERED.     BLANCH  L AM O NT'S 
BODY  DISCOVERED  IN  THE  TOWER  OF 

THE  IMMANUEL  BAPTIST  CHURCH. 
A  MOST  REVOLTING  CRIME. 

The  mystery  connected  with  the  disappearance  of 
Miss  Blanch  Lamont  from  the  house  of  her  aunt,  Mrs. 
Dr.  Nobles,  of  San  Francisco  was  cleared  up  on 
Easter  Sunday  by  the  discovery  of  her  body  in  the 
Immanuel  Baptist  Church  in  San  Francisco. 

Miss  Lamont  was  last  seen  two  weeks  ago  to-day, 
hut  her  mother  in  this  city  (Dillon)  was  not  notified 
until  a  week  ago  to-day.  This  Immanuel  Baptist 
Church  has  been  the  scene  of  two  of  the  most  atro 
cious  murders  ever  committed  in  the  state.  Saturday 
the  mutilated  body  of  Minnie  Williams  was  found  in 
the  office  of  the  library.  Sunday  the  body  of  Blanch 
Lamont  was  found  in  the  tower  of  the  same  church. 
*  *  *  W.  H.  Durant,  Librarian  of  the  church  and 
Secretary  of  the  Young  People's  Society  of  the 
church,  also  Assistant  Superintendent  of  the  Sunday- 


THE  LAMONT  TRAGEDY  81 

school,  is  suspected  of  both  crimes.  Miss  Lament 
disappeared  April  3d.  *  *  *  She  came  from  Dillon, 
Montana  several  months  ago,  having  been  sent  to  San 
Francisco  for  her  health  and  at  the  same  time  to 
attend  the  Normal  School  to  equip  herself  as  a  teacher. 
On  making  a  thorough  search  of  Immanuel 
Church  the  *  *  *  body  of  Miss  Lament  was  found 
concealed  in  the  steeple.  Death  had  been  caused  by 
strangulation.  The  body  was  lying  just  inside  the 
door  of  the  tower  room.  *  *  Around  the  neck  were 
streaks,  the  marks  of  fingers  that  had  been  pressed 
deep  into  the  tender  flesh.  The  features  were  badly 
distorted,  the  mouth  being  drawn  down  at  one  corner 
and  the  lips  swollen  and  blood-stained.  The  nose  was 
the  only  feature  that  retained  its  original  shape.  *  * 
The  girl's  light  brown  hair  was  matted  with  dirt  and 
hung  loosely  abot^t  her  shoulders.  The  body  was  in 
the  first  stages  of  decomposition. 

The  following  are  comments  taken  from 
the  Dillon  Tribune. 

Miss  Blanch  Lament,  the  news  of  whose  foul 
murder  is  so  deeply  agitating  this  community  has  been 
a  resident  of  this  city  for  fourteen  years.  *  *  *  She 
was  born  in  Rockford,  111.,  twenty-one  years  ago.  She 
was  the  daughter  of  Captain  David  Lament,  post 
master  of  this  city  at  the  time  of  his  death  nearly  two 
years  ago.  She  was  unusually  bright  and  attractive, 
a  great  favorite  in  social  and  religious  circles,  a  mem 
ber  of  the  Episcopal  Church.  *  *  *  The  remains  will 
be  shipped  to  Dillon  for  interment  and  will  be  received 
TRUTH— 6. 


82      TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

by  a  delegation  of  the  Masonic  Lodge.  *  *  *  The 
funeral  will  be  the  largest  and  most  impressive  ever 
held  in  this  city. 

Editorial  Comment  of  The  Examiner. 

A  HORRIBLE  TRAGEDY 
This  community  is  profoundly  shocked  by  the 
news  of  the  crime  whose  horrors  have  seldom  been 
surpassed  in  the  history  of  the  civilized  world.  Miss 
Blanch  Lament,  the  young  lady,  pure  and  noble  in 
mind,  of  amiable  disposition  and  spotless  character, 
and  endowed  by  her  Creator  of  every  other  attribute 
that  commends  the  respect  and  friendship  of  those  by 
whom  she  was  known,  has  been  made  the  victim  *  *  * 
of  as  black  a  monster  in  human  form  as  the  annals  of 
crime  has  any  record  of. 

Why  should  the  victim  of  this  tragedy  be 
from  Dillon,  Montana  ?  Why  should  the  faces 
of  the  friends  and  acquaintances  of  this  fair 
young  woman  be  blanched  with  horror  at  the 
details  of  her  untimely  death?  The  answer 
is  apparent.  The  innocent  suffered  for 
the  guilty.  God  had  a  purpose  in  it.  The 
scripture  says,  "Be  not  deceived;  God  is  not 
mocked:  for  whatsoever  a  man  (or  town) 
soweth,  that  shall  he  (or  it)  also  reap." 

The  town  of  Dillon  sowed  the  seed  of  law 
lessness  and  murder,  and  a  harvest  must 
follow.  Parents  often  have  the  fairest 


THE  LAMONT  TRAGEDY   •  83 

one  of  the  household  snatched  away  in  order 
to  bring  them  face  to  face  with  God,  who  is 
merciful  enough  to  give  them  a  chance  to  es 
cape  the  fires  of  perdition  by  visiting  them  with 
1  judgments.  This  is  His  last  recourse  after 
they  have  broken  His  laws  and  trampled  His 
word  under  their  feet. 

The  writer  knew  Doctor  and  Mrs.  Nobles, 
the  uncle  and  aunt  of  Miss  Lament,  when  they 
resided  at  Dillon.  They  were  intensely  de 
voted  to  the  Baptist  creed  and  helped  to  build 
the  Baptist  church  at  Dillon.  They  seemed  to 
be  totally  ignorant  of  real  salvation,  and  the 
Baptist  creed  was  to  all  appearances  their  god. 
The  worship  of  this  creed  was  no  doubt  the 
direct  cause  of  their  niece's  being  thrown  into 
the  company  of  a  murderer,  who  occupied  at 
least  three  different  official  positions  in  the 
church  of  their  choice. 

Another  member  of  the  Lamont  family 
came  to  a  sad  end,  about  September,  1904. 
The  following  is  an  account  taken  from  the 

Dillon  Tribune,  September  2d. 

TERRIBLE  ACCIDENT  TO  DILLON  BOY  AT 
LAKE  VIEW  YESTERDAY.     ROGER 

LAMONT  SHOT  IN  BREAST 
The   news   was   telephoned   to   Dillon   yesterday 


THE  LAMONT  TRAGEDY  85 

afternoon  about  5  o'clock  that  Roger  Lament  was 
probably  fatally  shot  at  Lake  View.  With  Harry 
Graves  and  Wilbur  Gilbert  he  left  Dillon  about  two 
weeks  ago  for  a  trip  through  the  National  Park  and 
the  party  was  just  returning.  Few  particulars  were 
phoned  to  the  family  here.  About  all  that  could  be 
learned  was  that  he  was  shot  through  the  right  breast 
with  a  44  calibre  revolver,  and  that  it  took  Harry 
Graves  two  hours  to  ride  in  to  Monida  from  the  place 
where  the  accident  occurred  that  he  might  notify  the 
family.  Mrs.  Lament  and  Miss  Grace  Lamont,  B.  M. 
Stephenson,  and  Dr.  Poindexter,  took  last  evening's 
train  to  Monida. 

LATER 

A  telephone  message  this  afternoon  from  Monida 
says  that  relatives,  Drs.  Poindexter  and  Stephenson, 
had  arrived  at  the  bedside  of  the  wounded  boy.  *  *  * 
When  the  messenger  left  Lake  View  all  hope  of  his 
recovery  had  been  given  up. 

In  a  later  issue  an  account  is  given  as  to 
how  the  accident  occurred. 

The  three  young  men,  Roger  Lamont,  Harry 
Graves  and  Wilbur  Gilbert  were  returning  from  a 
trip  through  the  National  Park.  Thursday  afternoon 
they  passed  the  Blake  home  and  when  about  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  past  the  house  toward  Monida,  Roger  leaned 
over  to  look  out  behind  the  wagon.  The  revolver,  a 
44  calibre  Smith  &  W'esson,  which  he  was  carrying 
in  a  holster,  dropped  from  the  holster  and  in  falling 
was  discharged  by  striking  the  side  of  the  wagon  bed. 


86      TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

The  ball  severed  one  of  the  lines,  just  in  front  of 
Wilbur  Gilbert's  thumb,  and  entered  Roger's  right 
1»reast  just  beneath  the  right  shoulder  blade.  The 
wounded  boy  turned  and  asked  each  of  his  compan 
ions  if  they  were  shot,  and  they  told  him  they  were 
not.  Then  one  of  the  boys  asked  him  how  about 
himself,  and  he  answered  "Yes,  I  am  shot  through  the 
lung."  The  team  was  qu;ckly  turned  and  he  was 
taken  to  Mr.  Blake's  house.  Harry  Graves  mounted 
a  horse  and  rode  to  Monida,  a  distance  of  twenty-four 
miles  in  two  hours,  where  he  telephoned  the  news  of 
the  accident  to  Dillon.  *  *  *  The  body  was  brought 
to  Dillon  Friday  night  and  the  funeral  took  place  from 
the  home  Sunday  afternoon  at  2:30.  *  *  The  many 
seats  placed  on  the  lawn  were  filled  and  hundreds. of 
sighing  friends  stood  round  about.  *  *  *  The  bier 
of  the  young  and  loved  deceased  was  followed  to 
Mountain  View  Cemetery  by  a  procession  of  sorrow 
ing  and  sympathetic  friends,  half  a  mile  long.  *  *  * 
Roger  Lament  was  born  in  Dillon  and  was  seventeen 
years  old  at  the  time  of  his  death.  *  *  *  The  sadness 
which  his  untimely  death  brings  upon  the  family  who 
has  suffered  more  than  its  share  of  sadness  touches 
the  hearts  of  all  and  the  bereaved  family  has  the 
deepest  sympathy. 

Harry  Graves,  the  young  man  mentioned 
above,  is  the  son  of  Fielding  Graves  of 
Bannack,  who  was  a  member  of  the  infidel 
board  of  trustees  who  refused  to  permit 
the  writer  to  read  the  Bible  in  the  opening 


THE  LAMONT  TRAGEDY  87 

exercises  of  the  school,  an  account  of  which  is 
given  in  Looking  Back  from  Beulah.  Clay 
Graves,  the  uncle  of  Harry,  was  killed 
by  the  discharge  of  his  gun  falling  out 
of  the  buggy  into  the  road  while  he 
was  carrying  a  bag  of  gold  dust,  in  company 
with  Gus  Graeter,  an  old-timer,  from  Bannack 
to  Dillon. 

The  Psalmist  said,  "The  steps  of  a  good 
man  are  ordered  by  the  Lord,"  but  nowhere 
do  we  find  that  the  steps  of  the  wicked  are 
ordered  by  Him,  or  that  they  will  be  protected 
in  their  undertakings.  "The  angel  of  the 
Lord  encampeth  round  about  them  that  fear 
him,  and  delivereth  them"  (Psalm  34:7). 

Fielding  Graves,  the  father  of  Harry,  was 
a  tall,  slender,  delicate  man,  with  piercing, 
black  eyes.  He  had  a  store  of  general  mer 
chandise  at  Bannack  and  was  a  member 
of  the  School  Board  when  the  writer  taught 
at  that  place.  His  aversion  to  God's  word  was 
well  known.  He  was  the  principal  factor  in 
opposing  my  opening  the  school  with  devo 
tional  exercises,  and  employed  another  teacher, 
after  promising  the  school  to  me. 

His  wife  used  to  tell  me  with  tears  in  her 
eyes  that  her  husband  was  very  exacting  and 


88      TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

hard  to  get  along  with,  and  the  only  way  that 
she  could  live  with  him  was  to  submit  to  his 
dictation  and  decisions  in  everything.  I 
looked  upon  his  little  children,  among  whom 
was  Harry,  as  they  romped  and  played,  and 
wondered  if  they  would  ever  come  to  any  good, 
knowing  that  the  Bible  says  that  the  sins 
of  the  parents  are  visited  upon  the  children 
unto  the  third  and  fourth  generation. 


CHAPTER  V 
THE  DEATHS  OF  SOME  OLD-TIMERS 

The  following  are  some  of  the  events  that 
have  occurred  in  and  about  Dillon  as  related 
in  part  by  one  who  has  been  a  resident  of 
Beaverhead  County  for  many  years. 

Joe  Crow,  after  helping  his  wife  with 
some  domestic  work,  walked  over  to  a 
lumber  yard  and  fell  under  a  stroke  of  paral 
ysis  and  died  within  three  hours.  This  man 
left  a  wife  and  children  in  the  East  and  came 
to  Montana  and  married  again,  after  which 
he  took  a  trip  back  to  his  old  home  and  intro 
duced  his  second  companion  to  his  first  wife, 
the  mother  of  his  children.  She  was 
so  stricken  with  grief  and  astonishment  she 
almost  collapsed.  After  Mr.  Crow's  death, 
wife  number  two,  while  attempting  to  law  the 
property  away  from  the  rightful  heirs,  was 
stricken  with  total  blindness.  She  is  now 
looking  in  vain  to  Christian  Science  and  other 
kindred  heresies  in  hope  of  recovering  her 
sight. 

Mark   10:11   says,   "Whosoever  shall  put 


THE  DEATH  OF  SOME  OLD-TIMERS      91 

away  his  wife,  and  marry  another,  committeth 
adultery  against  her."  The  divorce  evil  is 
rapidly  increasing  in  the  land.  The  displeas 
ure  of  God  is  upon  any  one  that  marries  an 
other  while  the  former  companion  is  living, 
whatever  may  have  been  the  grounds  for  sep 
aration.  Divorced  and  remarried  people  are 
enemies  of  the  Cross,  and  the  children  of  par 
ents  living  in  unholy  marriage  bonds  will  have 
to  suffer  for  the  guilty  unless  mercy  inter 
venes.  Exodus  20:5  says,  "I  the  Lord  thy 
God  am  a  jealous  God,  visiting  the  iniquity 
of  the  fathers  upon  the  children  unto  the  third 
and  fourth  generation  of  them  that  hate  me." 
The  scriptures  on  divorce  and  remarriage 
are  plain.  The  seventh  chapter  of  Romans 
leaves  no  room  for  controversy.  People  who 
are  divorced  and  remarried  are  living  in 
adultery  and  God's  judgments  are  sure  to  fall 
upon  them. 

Dillon  Tribune. 

S.  V.  Nielsen,  a  prominent  tailor,  was  struck  by 
an  engine  of  the  Irish  mail  near  Herman's  brickyard. 
*  *  *  His  left  shoulder  was  horribly  mangled  and 
several  of  his  ribs  broken.  Early  Wednesday  morn 
ing  he  died.  Nielsen  was  66  years  old  and  had  re 
sided  at  Dillon  for  a  number  of  years.  The  inquest 
was  held  over  the  remains  before  acting  Coroner 


92      TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

Holclen.     In  the  verdict  the  jury  exonerated  the  rail 
road  company  from  all  blame. 

Philip  Shenon  an  old  resident  of  Beaver- 
head  County  died  after  a  brief  illness.  He 
was  a  wealthy  cattleman,  much  older  than 
his  young  wife,  whom,  it  was  commonly 
reported,  was  forced  by  her  parents,  to  marry 
him  for  his  money.  He  separated  from  her 
and  married  again.  The  following  is  an  ac 
count  of  his  death,  from  the  Dillon  Tribune, 
Jan.  2d,  1903. 

Phil  Shenon  a  pioneer  of  Montana  died  *  *  * 
Wednesday  of  this  week,  aged  about  70  years.  .  Mr. 
Shenon  was  thrown  from  a  wagon  recently  while 
pitching  hay  and  sustained  a  dangerous  strangulated 
rupture.  An  operation  was  performed  and  the  in 
jured  man  was  apparently  doing  all  right  when  com 
plications  developed  and  he  died. 

He  came  to  Bannack  in  the  early  sixties  and  was 
engaged  in  mining  and  ranching  for  a  number  of 
years.  *  *  *  His  estate  is  supposed  to  be  worth  a 
hundred  thousand.  He  is  survived  by  a  wife  and  two 
children.  '  *  *  Mr.  Shenon's  first  wife  \\.i-  Mi-- 
Mattie  Z.  Mulkey,  from  whom  he  was  divorced  a 
number  of  years  ago,  and  she  later  married  Mr.  Far- 
rington  and  now  resides  in  California.  She  still  owns 
a  ranch  on  Red  Rock. 

Charles  Bliven  was  shot  and  killed  in  his 
saloon.  He  said  that  he  did  not  like  the  saloon 


THE  DEATH  OF  SOME  OLD-TIMERS       93 

business,  that  he  had  been  brought  up  differ 
ently,  but  had  no  other  way  to  make  a  living. 

James  Eddy  and  Avifc  started  to  Scotland 
on  a  visit.  He  died  suddenly  in  New  York. 
The  wife  brought  the  body  back  to  Dillon 
to  be  buried.  This  couple  let  old  George 
Brown,  a  noted  drunkard,  make  drunkards  out 
of  all  their  children  and  teach  them  profanity. 
Brown  was  the  rich  uncle  of  the  children,  and 
the  parents  would  not  protest  lest  the  boys 
should  be  cut  out  of  his  will.  Four  of  these 
young  men  died  within  a  few  months  of  one 
another.  The  widow  was  left  in  poor  health 
with  two  children,  one  an  imbecile, — plenty 
of  wealth,  but  not  able'  to  enjoy  it. 

Dick  Reynolds,  a  well  known  ranchman  liv 
ing  near  Dillon,  was  thrown  from  a  buggy 
and  fatally  injured.  His  first  wrife  was  a 
prominent  church  worker,  and  preachers  were 
often  entertained  at  their  home.  The  writer 
visited  their  home  and  gave  her  testimony 
as  to  what  the  Lord  had  done  for  her,  but 
found  it  difficult  to  interest  Mr.  Reynolds 
in  the  subject  of  salvation.  He  was  very  self- 
righteous.  He  was  hospitable,  but  this  an  in 
fidel  could  be  if  he  were  so  disposed.  The 
preachers  enjoyed  his  hospitality,  but  let 


THE  DEATH  OF  SOME  OLD-TIMERS      95 

him  slip  through  their  ringers  into  perdition. 
I  was  told  that  his  second  wife  was  a  skep 
tic.  No  Christian  would  yoke  up  with  an  un 
believer.  From  the  information  I  could  get 
from  some  of  his  friends,  Mr.  Reynolds  idol 
ized  horses.  He  took  much  pleasure  in  a  fast, 
well-groomed  team.  It  was  whik  driving  a 
team  of  this  kind  that  the  accident  occurred 
which  proved  fatal.  The  horses  were  making 
a  sharp  turn  in  the  road  and  threw  him  out. 
Duke  Davis,  a  nephew  of  the  writer,  helped  to 
carry  him  into  the  home  of  J.  E.  Morris  after 
the  accident  occurred.  The  following  account 
given  in  the  Tribune  is  deserving  of  commen4- 
No  doubt  that  Mr.  Reynolds  was  an  hoiK  ' 
business  man  and  worthy  of  any  good  tha. 
might  be  said  of  him  in  this  respect,  but  to  give 
a  person  a  passport  to  heaven  simply  because  he 
has  many  friends  and  worldly  admirers,  is  di 
rectly  contrary  to  the  teachings  of  God's  word. 

Dillon  Tribune,  Jan.   15,  1904. 
R.   A.   REYNOLDS    WAS   DRIVING    TOWARD 
HOME  WHEN  THE  SHOCK  (PARAL 
YSIS)  CAME  UPON  HIM 
His  Wife  Was  Waiting  for  Him  at  Her  Sister's 

When  She  Saw  the  Horse  Pass 
While   R.   A.    Reynolds    was   driving   up    Idaho 
street  Tuesday  morning,   near  the  school   house,  he 


96      TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

\\as  stricken  with  paralysis,  and  losing  control  of  his 
team  it  began  to  run.  *  *  *  The  carriage  struck  a 
telephone  pole  and  Mr.  Reynolds  was  thrown  out, 
although  not  with  much  force.  The  team  broke  away 
from  the  rig,  and  one  horse  went  home  to  the  ranch, 
while  the  other  was  captured  near  Mountain  View 
Cemetery.  Several  people  living  in  that  neighbor 
hood  *  *  *  hurried  to  the  assistance  of  the  unfortunate 
man.  When  they  arrived  Mr.  Reynolds  was  uncon 
scious  and  said  something  about  the  horses  not  being 
at  fault  and  that  he  could  not  see  where  they  were 
going,  meaning  that  the  stroke  of  paralysis  caused  him 
to  lose  control  of  the  reins.  A  man  named  Dolby 
saw  Mr.  Reynolds  leaning  toward  the  outside  of  the 
carriage  as  the  horses  charged  up  the  street.  *  " 
Mrs.  Reynolds  who  had  been  waiting  for  him  at  H.  \\  . 
\Veeninks,  recognizing  one  of  the  runaway  horses, 
started  at  once  to  find  her  husband.  She  got  to  Mr. 

M s'  just  as  the  party  with  Mr.  Reynolds  drove 

up.     He  lived  from  Wednesday  until  Saturday. 

The  funeral  services  of  "Uncle  Dick,"  as  he  \\a> 
familiarly  known  by  every  one,  were  conducted  in 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  of  which  he  was  a 
member.  The  church  was  packed  to  overflowing  by 
the  admiring  and  sad-hearted  friends  who  wished 
to  pay  a  last  tribute  to  him.  The  body  was  taken  t" 
the  lecture  room  of  the  church  at  10  o'clock  in  the 
morning  and  there  lay  in  state  until  I  o'clock  p.  m.,  or 
the  hour  of  the  funeral,  and  during  that  space  of  time 
hundreds  visited  the  church  to  take  a  last  look  at  all 
that  was  mortal  of  "Uncle  Dick."  The  casket  wa- 


THE  DEATH  OF  SOME  OLD-TIMERS    97 

almost  hidden  from  view  by  the  loads  of  fragrant 
flowers  and  wreaths,  the  loving  offerings  of  friends. 
The  whole  front  of  the  church  altar  was  one  bank  of 
floral  offerings.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Church  and  a  constant  attendant  at  the  services,  and 
always  had  his  regular  seat  near  the  choir.  This  seat 
was  draped  in  white  and  unoccupied  during  the 
funeral  services.  The  services  were  conducted  by 
the  Rev.  A.  A.  Luce.  Dr.  Martin  of  the  Presby 
terian  Church  led  in  prayer  and  Rev.  Stephens,  pastor 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church  at  Twin  Bridges,  read 
several  passages  of  scripture.  Rev.  R.  P.  Smith  of 
Helena  and  Rev.  J.  W.  Tate  of  Butte,  both  former 
pastors  of  the  Methodist  Church  here,  followed  with 
short  talks  paying  tribute  to  the  model  life  of  the 
deceased,  in  which  they  referred  to  the  good  ex 
ample  of  true  manhood,  Christian  fortitude,  patience 
in  affliction  and  trust  in  God  over  all,  which  will  live 
on  as  a  monument  in  the  memories  of  the  people 
here.  *  *  *  "Uncle  Dick,"  was  truly  a  good  man, 
if  he  had  a  single  enemy  among  his  host  of  acquaint 
ances,  no  one  ever  heard,  of  it.  Our  community  was 
enriched  by  his  honest  life  and  square  dealings  with 
his  fellowmen.  In  the  course  of  his  remarks,  Rev. 
Smith  truly  said,  "As  England  points  with  pride  to 
the  life  of  Gladstone,  and  as  the  United  States  looks 
with  reverence  upon  the  life  of  the  great  Lincoln, 
just  so  does  Beaverhead  County  hold  sacred  the  life 
of  Richard  A.  Reynolds.  He  came  here  a  poor  man 
and  ere  his  death  had  become  one  of  our  richest 
ranchers  and  stockmen,  yet  every  dollar  was  made 
TRUTH — 7. 


98      TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

honestly  and  squarely.  *  *  *  Interment  was  in  the 
Poindexter  Cemetery  to  which  spot  one  of  the  longest 
funeral  processions  ever  seen  in  this  valley  wended 
its  way. 

Knowing  his  beautiful  life  and  unwavering  trust 
in  God  those  who  looked  upon  his  lifeless  form  for 
the  last  time  on  Monday,  did  so  with  sorrowful 
hearts,  but  with  the  thought — 

"How  sweet  his  sleep  where  all  is  peace, 

\Yhere  sorrow  cannot  reach  his  breast; 
Where  all  life's  idle  throbbings  cease, 

And  pain  is  lulled  to  rest — 
Such  balmy  rest,  where,  peril  past, 

The  weary  wins  a  deep  repose, 
And  the  bruised  spirit  finds  at  last 

A  cure  for  all  its  woes. 
How  sweet  that  deep  repose  to  gain, 

And  slumber  in  that  deathless  sleep, 
From  which  he'll  never  wake  to  pain, 

And  never  rise  to  weep; 
For  he's  won  his  way  thro'  the  tempest's  roar, 

And  laid  him  down  on  the  golden  shore." 

The  funeral  was  held  in  the  Method- 
i-t  church  which  was  packed  to  over 
flowing  by  the  admiring  and  sad-hearted 
friends.  Hundreds  visited  the  church  to  take 
a  last  look  at  all  that  was  mortal  <>f  "Uncle 
Dick." 

According  to  this  Mr.  Reynolds  was  quite 


THE  DEATH  OF  SOME  OLD-TIMERS     99 

popular,  not  only  with  Methodists  but  with  peo 
ple  of  all  denominations.  The  Calvary  route 
is  not  a  popular  way,  .people  who  take  this  way 
are  despised  and  set  at  nought  by  the  world. 
Jesus  said  to  His  disciples,  "If  the  world  hate 
you,  ye  know  that  it  hated  me  before  it  hated 
you.  If  ye  were  of  the  world,  the  world  would 
love  his  own:  but  because  ye  are  not  of  the 
world,  but  I  have  chosen  you  out  of  the  world, 
therefore  the  world  hateth  you"  (John  15:18- 


"The  casket  was'  almost  hidden  from  view 
by  the  loads  of  fragrant  flowers  and  wreaths  — 
the  loving  offerings  of  friends.  The  whole 
front  of  the  church  altar  was  one  bank  of 
floral  offerings."  Any  person  with  salvation 
knows  that  saints  are  not  buried  in  this  way. 
The  very  presence  of  this  bank  of  flowers  is 
sufficient  evidence  that  people  of  the  world 
were  his  friends.  The  scripture  says,  "The 
friendship  of  the  world  is  enmity  with 
God."  Surely  the  devil  smiled  when  it 
took  five  ministers  to  conduct  the  serv 
ice.  The  scripture  says,  "Let  the  dead 
bury  their  dead,"  and  this  time  they 
conformed  to  the  word  of  God.  These  minis- 


ters  were  spiritually  dead,  some  of  whom  I 
knew  personally.  J.  W.  Tate,  was  the  identi 
cal  pastor  who  closed  his  church  against  the 
writer  and  her  brother,  which  resulted  in  our 
holding  a  tent  meeting  in  the  town. 

They  said  "Uncle  Dick"  truly  was  a  good 
man,  "if  he  had  a  single  enemy,  no  one  ever 
heard  of  it."  The  Word  says,  "Woe  unto  you, 
when  all  men  shall  speak  well  of  you!  for  so 
did  their  fathers  to  the  false  prophets."  "Our 
community  was  enriched  by  his  honest  life  and 
square  dealings  with  his  fellow  men." 

"The  moral  man  came  to  the  judgment, 
But  his  self-righteous  rags  would  not  do, 
The  men  who  had  crucified  Jesus, 
Had  passed  off  as  moral  men  too. 
The  souls  that  had  put  off  salvation, — 
'Not  tonight;  I'll  get  saved  by  and  by, 
No  time  now  to  think  of  religion ! ' 
At  last  they  had  found  time  to  die. 

"And  Oh,  what  a  weeping  and  wailing, 
When  the  lost  ones  were  told  of  their  fate ; 
They  cried  for  the  rocks  and  the  mountains, 
They  prayed,  but  their  prayer  was  too  late." 

Rev.  Smith  certainly  was  stretching  his 
imagination  when  he  made  the  comparison  be 
tween  Mr.  Revnolds  and  Gladstone.  It 


THE  DEATH  OF  SOME  OLD-TIMERS  101 

shows  the  extremes  to  which  a  so-called 
minister  of  the  Gospel  will  go  when 
he  no  longer  seeks  the  approval  of  God, 
and  his  only  ambition  is  to  please  men. 
He  capped  the  climax  when  he  said  that  Rey 
nolds  came  there  a  poor  man,  but  had  become 
one  of  their  richest  ranchers  and  stockmen. 
Jesus  said,  "Again  I  say  unto  you,  It  is  easier 
for  ja  camel  to  go  through  the  eye  of  a  needle, 
than  for  a  rich  man  to  enter  the  kingdom  of 
God."  How  could  these  ministers  preach  this 
man  into  heaven  and  comment  upon  his  riches 
in  the  face  of  this  scripture,  and  many  other 
passages  in  regard  to  riches  that  are  even 
stronger?  "Go  to  now,  ye  rich. men,  weep  and 
howl  for  your  miseries  that  shall  come  upon 
you.  Your  riches  are  corrupted,  and  your 
garments  are  motheaten.  Your  gold  and  sil 
ver  is  cankered;  and  the  rust  of  them  shall  be 
a  witness  against  you,  and  shall  eat  your  flesh 
as  it  were  fire." 

I  was  acquainted  with  the  religious  history 
of  Dillon  for  twenty-one  years  previous  to  the 
death  of  Mr.  Reynolds,  and  never  knew  until 
I  read  the  account  of  his  funeral  that  he  even 
made  a  profession  of  Christianity. 

Dave  Rinehart  died  suddenly  at  Dillon, 


THE  DEATH  OF  SOME  OLD-TIMERS  103 

being  sick  only  a  few  hours.  He  figured  con 
spicuously  in  politics  and  was  once  the  Sheriff 
of  Beaverhead  County. 

John  Yoe,  one  of  Dillon's  popular  young 
men,  who  often  expressed  himself  as  having 
no  use  for  religion,  was  found  dead  in  his 
room.  He  married  Miss  Anna  Carter,  an  in 
fidel  school  teacher.  She  and  her  sister  Mary, 
also  a  school  teacher  with  a  great  aversion  to 
Christianity,  were  habitual  card  players,  yet 
they  were  popular  in  the  social  and  religious 
circles  of  Dillon.  The  members  of  the  Meth 
odist  Church  had  no  hesitation  in  putting  their 
children  under  the  tutorship  of  these  women. 

Dr.  Pickman,  a  popular  physician  of  the 
town,  wished  while  suffering  that  Jesus  Christ 
had  his  sore  foot.  The  Episcopal  Church  has 
a  memorial  window  in  honor  of  him.  Dr. 
Larson,  Earl  Martin,  John  Hershman  and  Earl 
Conger,  all  died  yearning  for  spiritual  help. 
Some  of  their  people  were  greatly  opposed  to 
the  cottage  prayer  meetings  held  at  Dillon. 

Mrs.  Gray  died  suddenly  after  cooking  a 
Sunday  dinner  for  company.  Her  hus 
band,  Robert  Gray,  was  one  of  the  members 
of  the  noted  school  board,  who  refused  to  let 
the  writer  read  the  Scriptures  in  the  opening 


iO4    TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

exercises  of  the  school.  He  would  take  his 
children  to  the  public  balls  and  dance  all  night. 
He  hated  anyone  with  salvation.  Mrs.  Gray 
arose  on  Sunday  morning  a'nd  went  about  her 
household  duties.  At  n  o'clock  she  was 
stricken  with  paralysis.  At  2  o'clock  she  sank 
into  a  deep  sleep  and  never  rallied  to  speak  to 
or  recognize  her  children  or  friends. 

Mr.  L.  Hanson  shot  himself  near  Dillon 
over  family  troubles.  The  following  account 
of  his  death  was  given  in  the  Dillon  Tribune, 
Nov.  27th,  1903. 

Dillon  was  shocked  last  Saturday  by  the  news 
being  brought  to  town  that  Lars  Hanson  living  two 
miles  northwest  of  the  city  had  been  found  dead  in 
his  house  with  the  whole  top  of  his  head  blown  off. 
The  gruesome  discovery  was  made  by  Mr.  Charles 
Peterson  of  Bannack,  who  was  in  Dillon  that  day  and 
had  gone  out  to  Mr.  Hanson's  residence  to  get  a 
horse.  *  *  *  Mr.  Peterson  arrived  there  about  11 
o'clock  and  could  find  no  one  about  the  place,  and  no 
answer  came  to  his  knocking  at  the  front  door.  He 
went  to  the  pasture  and  got  the  horse,  brought  it  to 
the  house  and  tied  it.  Then  went  to  the  kitchen  door 
to  put  a  note  under  the  door,  from  Mr.  Mud  to  Mr. 
Hanson,  asking  him  to  let  Mr.  Peterson  take  the 
horse.  When  Peterson  touched  the  door  it  swung 
open  revealing  the  ghastly  sight  of  the  deceased  upon 


THE  DEATH  OF  SOME  OLD-TIMERS  105 

the  floor  with  fully  half  of  his  head  missing,  and  a 
double  barrelled  shotgun  lying  close  by. 

J.  F.  Bishop  was  just  passing  the  house  while  Mr. 
Peterson  was  tying  the  horse,  and  when  the  discovery 
was  made  by  Mr.  Peterson  he  quickly  mounted  his 
horse  and  rode  after  Mr.  Bishop  who  remained  at 
the  house,  while  Mr.  Peterson  went  to  town  after 
the  coroner,  Dr.  Walker. 

To  all  appearances,  Mr.  Hanson  was  the 
victim  of  his  own  hand.  Domestic  infelicity 
was  the  cause  of  his  committing  suicide.  The 
Sunday  before  his  death  he  took  his  two 
daughters  and  attended  services  at  the  Bap 
tist  church.  The  Tribune  stated  that 
he  was  a  devoted  member  of  the  Bap 
tist  Church.  Of  course  he  could  obtain  no 
spiritual  help  there.  What  the  man  needed  in 
the  hour  of  trial  was  some  one  that  could  point 
him  to  Christ,  as  his  burden-bearer,  but  there 
was  no  one  in  the  churches  of  Dillon  to  do  this. 

Owen  Carrigan  shot  and  killed  himself 
over  financial  troubles,  leaving  a  wife  and  chil 
dren. 

Dan  Chapman  came  from  a  lodge  meeting 
one  night  and  died  within  an  hour,  while  his 
wife,  the  daughter  of  a  prominent  Methodist, 
was  entertaining  company.  Thus  death 


106    TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

struck  him  in  the  midst  of  church  festivities. 
I  well  remember  one  afternoon  when 
called  upon  to  play  and  sing  some 
hymns  in  Mr.  Chapman's  presence,  how 
emphatically  he  expressed  his  distaste  for  any 
thing  religious.  The  young  woman  whom  he 
afterward  married  was  present.  I  wondered 
how  she  could  have  any  respect  for  him. 

Seven  well  known  young  men  in  and  about 
Dillon  died  yearning  for  spiritual  help. 

O.  E.  Morse,  a  well-known  groceryman, 
fell  in  the  door  of  his  store  and  lived  only  a 
few  minutes.  I  was  in  his  store  two  days  be 
fore  his  death.  While  he  was  wrapping  paper 
around  a  basket  of  grapes  I  asked  myself  the 
question,  How  long  will  God  permit  this  man 
to  go  on  in  his  unrepentant  condition,  kn<>\\ 
ing  that  he  had  been  repeatedly  warned 
through  the  meetings  held  in  the  place. 


.  CHAPTER  VI 

FURTHER    ACCOUNTS    OF    SUDDEN    DEATHS 

TAKEN  FROM  DILLON  TRIBUNE  AND 

DILLON  EXAMINER 

Dillon  Tribune,  April  23d,  1897. 

DIED  OF  DIPTHERIA 

The  death  of  Mary  Louise  Harvey  of  Dillon, 
best  known  as  "Nellie,"  is  one  of  the  saddest  events 
we  have  had  to  record.  Her  death  occurred  at  6 
o'clock  Saturday  evening  of  diptheria.  Just  one  week 
before  she  was  the  picture  of  health  and  strength  and 
was  running  and  playing  with  her  little  companions. 
*  *  *  *  Her  death  is  especially  sad,  from  the  fact  that 
she  was  one  of  the  brightest  little  girls  in  the  public 
school,  of  cheerful  disposition  and  loved  by  her 
teachers  and  playmates  by  whom  she  will  be  much 
missed. 

We  are  told  that  the  parents  of  this  child 
denied  themselves  of  the  necessaries  of  life 
in  order  to  keep  up  with  the  social  life  of  Dil 
lon.  After  the  death  of  this  girl  the  real  con 
dition  of  the  family  was  learned. 

Same  Issue. 

MARY  EDDIE  DEAD 

Mary  Eddie,  eldest  daughter  of  Mr.  and   Mrs. 


io8    TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

James  Eddie,  died  at  the  home  of  her  parents  this 
morning  at  6  o'clock.  Mary  Eddie  was  born  on 
Horse  Prarie,  fourteen  years  ago. 

Her  uncle,  George  Brown  taught  her  to 
love  the  taste  of  intoxicants,  and  it  is  reported 
that  the  physicians  think  she  would  have  stood 
a  fair  chance  of  recovery,  had  it  not  been  that 
her  heart  was  weakened  through  the  use  of 
strong  drink. 

Same  Issue. 

DEATH  OF  THOMAS  TRITT 
Thomas  Tritt,  a  well-known  rancher  of  Dillon, 
died  at  his  home  in  this  city,  April  2ist  of  paralysis. 
*  *  *  The  funeral  was  held  at  2  o'clock  Thursday 
afternoon. 

Same  Issue. 

ANOTHER  PIONEER  GONE 

Word  has  been  received  here  of  the  death  of  Mrs. 
Ellen  R.  Smith,  widow  of  A.  J.  Smith,  formerly  of 
Bannack.  Mrs.  Smith  died  at  Denver,  Colo.,  of  heart 
failure. 

Tribune,  Nov.  iQth,  1897. 

ANOTHER  SAD  DEATH.    MRS.  JOHN  R.  GIL 
BERT  PASSES  TO  THE  GREAT  BEYOND 

Her  maiden  name  was  Jane  Ann  Bumby.  The 
family  settled  in  Jefferson  Valley  in  Madison  County, 
Montana,  where  they  spent  many  happy  days.  In 


BEAVERHEAD  COUNTY  COURT  HOUSE 


no    TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

1895  the  father  was  taken  from  them  by  death,  leav 
ing  three  sons,  a  widow  and  this  daughter  to  mourn 
his  loss.  In  1877  she  was  married  to  John  R.  ( iil- 
bert,  immediately  removing  to  his  ranch  north  of  Dil 
lon,  where  they  continued  to  make  their  home  until 
moving  to  town  some  three  or  four  years  ago. 

This  union  was  blest  by  the  coming  of  nine  chil 
dren  into  the  home,  six  boys  and  three  girls,  all  of 
whom,  with  the  exception  of  Jennie,  whom  we  laid 
away  ten  days  ago,  with  the  bereaved  husband,  are 
left  to  suffer  the  pangs  of  their  loss.  She  was  saved 
the  suffering  of  knowing  the  departure  of  her  mother 
and  daughter,  and  is  now  gone  to  join  them  in  that 
innumerable  throng,  which  we  hope  are  singing  of 
Moses  and  the  Lamb  around  the  throne  of  the  Eter 
nal. 

Tribune,  Aug.  9th,  1899. 

A  DAUGHTER  OF  ROBERT- ARCHIBALD 

DIED  OF  DIPHTHERIA  WEDNESDAY 

AFTERNOON 

This  is  the  third  member  of  the  family  succumb 
ing  to  that  disease  within  a  month. 

Tribune,  Sept.  8th,  1899. 

ALVIN  DEWITT  KILLS  WILLIAM  McINTOSH 

IN    SELF-DEFENSE.      THE    STORY    OF 

THE    TROUBLE    AS    TOLD    THE    COR- 

LR'S  JURY,  AND  VERDICT  RENDERED 

—MEN  HAD  TROUBLE  OVLR  A   \VATLR 


OTHER  SUDDEN  DEATHS  1 1 1 

DITCH— ARE      WELL     KNOWN     RESI 
DENTS  OF  THE  COUNTY. 

Monday  morning,  Dewitt  started  cleaning  out  the 
irrigating  ditch.  When  he  had  reached  a  point  near 
the  Mclntosh  house,  Mr.  Mclntosh  came  out  and  or 
dered  him  to  stop  work.  He  refused  to  do  so.  Then 
a  wrangle  ensued  during  which  a  gun  was  drawn  by 
Mclntosh.  This  gun  was  soon  afterwards  taken 
away  from  him  and  hidden  by  his  granddaughter. 

When  the  gun-play  was  made,  Dewitt  was  un 
armed  save  for  a  scythe  which  he  had  been  using  to 
cut  out  the  moss  growing  in  the  bottom  of  the  ditch. 
He  told  Mclntosh  that  he  was  unarmed  and  that  it 
was  cowardly  to  shoot  an  unarmed  man.  He  was 
told  to  go  home,  get  his  gun,  come  back  and  they 
would  have  it  out  at  ten  paces.  More  warm  words 
followed  after  Mclntosh  had  been  disarmed  by  the 
girl,  and  Dewitt  finally  left  the  place.  After  dinner 
he  went  to  a  neighbor's  and  asked  two  men  to  go 
back  with  him,  saying  that  if  he  was  again  disturbed 
that  he  would  have  Mclntosh  arrested  and  that  he 
wanted  witnesses.  He  also  took  his  rifle  with  him, 
a  30  calibre  Winchester  smokeless.  When  he  re 
sumed  work  at  2  o'clock,  there  was  a  repitition  of 
the  forenoon's  altercation.  Mclntosh  again  ordered 
Dewitt  out  of  the  ditch,  and  was  told,  "Go  into  the 
house  and  mind  your  own  business  and  I  will  tend 
to  mine."  Then  Mclntosh  said,  "You've  got  a  long 
gun  and  I've  got  a  short  one,  I'll  go  into  the  house 
and  get  my  long  one."  A  few  minutes  later,  he  re 
appeared  with  his  rifle,  and  wl^cn  within  75  or  ioa 


ii2    TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

feet  of  his  enemy  fired,  the  bullet  passing  between  the 
two  witness.  Immediately  Dewitt  returned  the  fire, 
without  apparent  effect.  Mclntosh  shot  a  second 
time  and  once  again  Dewitt  returned  the  fire.  At  the 
crack  of  the  rifle  Mclntosh  reeled  and  fell,  the  bullet 
had  passed  directly  through  his  heart  and  death  was 
instantaneous.  *  *  The  members  of  the  Mclntosh 
family  and  the  hired  man  told  a  different  story  at  the 
inquest.  Mr.  Jackson  says  he  heard  two  shots  only, 
both  being  fired  by  Dewitt,  and  he  stoutly  maintained 
that  he  did  not  see  a  gun  in  Mclntosh's  hands. 

Tribune,  March  ist,  1901. 

DAVIDSON  IS  DEAD.  CORONER'S  JURY  RE 
TURNED  A  VERDICT  OF  DEATH  BY  SUI 
CIDE.  HIS  FRIENDS  THINK  HE  WAS 
MURDERED.  A  LETTER  SUGGESTIVE 
OF  TROUBLE— HIS  WIFE  ADMITS  THEY 
DID  NOT  GET  ALONG  WELL. 

James  Davidson,  formerly  of  Dillon,  died  at 
Denver,  Colo.,  on  Feb.  24th.  Much  mystery  sur 
rounds  his  death  and  it  is  thought  by  some  people 
here  that  he  was  the  victim  of  foul  play. 

Mr.  Davidson  has  been  a  resident  of  this  county 
for  nearly  twenty  years.  He  was  engaged  in  ranch 
ing  and  stock  raising  until  about  a  year  ago,  when  he 
sold  his  ranch  for  $10,000.  He  then  went  East  to 
his  old  home  in  Pennsylvania  and  was  married  to  a 
Mrs.  Mattie  Burke.  *  *  Mrs.  Davidson  was  not 
satisfied  to  live  at  Dillon  and  last  December  they  went 
to  Denver.  *  *  Mr.  Davidson  drew  $500  from 


OTHER  SUDDEN  DEATHS  113 

the  bank  on  his  departure,  and  before  his  death  had 
drawn  his  entire  account. 

Frank  Williams  received  two  telegrams  from 
Mrs.  Davidson,  one  stating  "Jim"  was  dead,  and  the 
other  asking  if  he  would  send  funeral  expenses.  *  * 
The  following  we  take  from  a  Denver  despatch  to  the 
Standard : 

Denver,  Colo.,  Feb.  27th. 

The  death  of  James  Davidson,  formerly  of  Dil 
lon,  Mont.,  is  shrouded  in  mystery.  Davidson  was  65 
years  old  and  was  found  dead  in  his  bed  in  his  room 
at  1653  Arapahoe  street,  Sunday  morning.  The  gas 
was  turned  on  and  the  coroner  said  he  had  been  as 
phyxiated. 

•>         m    JfA 

Dillon  Examiner,  Aug.  I4th,  1901. 

THOMAS  NYHART  SHOOTS  HIMSELF  FRI 
DAY  AFTERNOON  AND  SOON  DIES.  HE 
WAS  CARRYING  A  RIFLE  WHILE  MOW 
ING  AND  IT  WAS  ACCIDENTALLY  DIS 
CHARGED.  DEATH  OCCURRED  THREE 
HOURS  LATER. 

Young  Nyhart  was  running  a  mower  on  his 
brother's  ranch  about  a  mile  north  from  town.  There 
was  an  old  coyote  which  for  a  year  or  more  past  has 
made  that  field  his  hunting  place.  Seeing  the  animal 
the  young  man  decided  to  kill  it  and  he  brought  a 
49-90  caliber  rifle  from  the  house  for  that  purpose. 
Before  he  could  get  a  shot  the  animal  was  out  of 
range.  Nyhart  then  got  on  the  machine,  carrying  the 
rifle  across  his  knees.  His  companions  advised  him 
TRUTH— 8. 


ii4    TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

to  take  the  cartridge  out  of  the  rifle  as  it  was  a  dan 
gerous  proposition  to  carry  a  rifle  in  such  a  manner. 
He  declined  to  do  so,  laughing  at  the  danger,  and  said 
that  the  old  coyote  might  show  up  again  and  he 
wanted  to  shoot  quickly. 

He  had  scarcely  gotten  half  way  round  the  land 
v  hen  a  shot  was  heard,  and  young  Nyhart  walked  to 
the  other  men  in  the  field  a  few  hundred  yards  away, 
told  them  he  was  shot  and  fell  to  his  knees.  *  * 
The  wound  was  a  mortal  one  and  he  died  a  few  min 
utes  after  six  o'clock.  *  *  The  young  man  was  con 
scious  to  the  last  and  suffered  untold  agony.  Thom 
as  Nyhart  was  a  native  of  Beaverhead  Valley;  he 
was  a  sober,  industrious  young  man  and  his  untimely 
end  is  mourned  by  all  who  knew  him. 

Dillon  Tribune,  Aug.  i6th,  1901. 

FORMER  DILLON  MAN  SHOOTS    HIMSELF 

WITH  A  SHOTGUN.    A  SHOCKING  CASE 

OF  SUICIDE  AT  BRYANTS  RANCH 

IN  THE  UPPER  RUBY  VALLEY 
At  10:30  this  morning,  Charles  Flynn  shot  him 
self  with  a  shotgun  the  first  time  in  the  shoulder,  the 
second  time  in  the  heart.  Flynn  was  despondent  be 
cause  of  the  condition  of  his  wife  with  whom  he 
wanted  to  go  to  California,  but  wras  unable  to  do  so 
because  of  an  operation  of  surgery  which  she  recently 
underwent.  Financial  conditions  also  were  a  factor. 

Tribune,  Nov.  I4th,  1902. 

FOUND  DEAD  IN  BED.      GEORGE  LINKERS- 
DORFER  DIES  OF  HEART  FAILURE. 


OTHER  SUDDEN  DEATHS  115 

The  friends  of  George  Linkersdorfer  were 
shocked  Monday  by  the  news  that  he  had  been  found 
dead  in  his  bed.  The  news  came  as  a  great  surprise, 
from  the  fact  that  he  was  apparently  in  the  best  of 
health  when  last  seen  by  his  friends  at  3 130  "o'clock 
Monday  morning.  *  *  Chris  Snyder  who  helped 
Mr.  Linkersdorfer  to  bed  went  to  his  room  about  n 
o'clock  and  found  him  apparently  dead.  He  called 
Dr.  B —  and  when  the  doctor  arrived  he  found  Mr. 
Linkersdorfer  had  been  dead  some  time.  *  *  He 
smoked  a  great  many  cigarettes  and  being  afflicted  with 
heart  disease  this  is  supposed  to  have  hastened  his 
death. 

Tribune,  Feb.  26th,  1903. 

FELL    FROM    A    WAGON.     ANDY    NELSON 

DIED  THIS  MORNING  FROM  INJURIES 

RECEIVED   WEDNESDAY 

Wednesday,  Andy  Nelson  who  has  been  working 
for  \Y.  C.  Brown  on  the  Rattlesnake  for  a  short  time, 
came  to  Dillon  in  company  with  some  parties  from 
that  section  and  proceeded  to  fill  up  on  whiskey.  His 
friends  tried  to  persuade  him  to  go  home  in  the  after 
noon,  but  he  would  not.  But  about  7 130  o'clock,  he 
consented  to  go.  He  was  placed  on  the  running  gears 
of  the  wagon  and  they  started  to  leave  town.  While 
going  down  Montana  street  Nelson  suddenly  fell  over 
into  the  wheel  of  the  wagon  and  before  the  horses 
could  be  stopped  he  was  drawn  down  between  the 
wheels  and  the  hounds  of  the  wagon.  When  he  was 


o 
0 

fc 
o 

si 
55 

O 


OTHER  SUDDEN  DEATHS  117 

extricated  from  the  position  he  was  perfectly  help 
less. 

It  was  supposed  that  he  was  dead  drunk  and  he 
was  placed  on  a  wheelbarrow  by  the  officers  and 
lodged  in  the  police  station  to  sleep  off  his  drunk. 
He  slept  very  soundly  all  night  and  next  morning 
when  he  awoke  he  called  Officer  Fordice  to  him  and 
told  the  officer  he  was  unable  to  move  and  wanted  to 
know  what  was  the  matter.  *  *  The  man  was  re 
moved  to  Froman's  lodging  house  where  all  possible 
was  done  for  him,  but  he  died  this  morning  at  7:30 
o'clock. 

Same  Issue. 

DIED   OF  APPENDICITIS 

Miss  Christiana  C.  Morrison,  a  student  of  the 
Normal  school,  after  having  undergone  an  opera 
tion  Wednesday  for  appendicitis,  died.  *  *  Her 
recovery  from  the  immediate  effects  of  the  operation 
were  much  better  than  had  been  expected,  but  about 
noon  yesterday  she  began  to  fail  and  finally  passed 
away  about  5  130.  Miss  Morrison  was  a  little  more 
than  eighteen  years  old. 

Tribune,  March  2Oth,  1903. 

DEATH  OF  FRED  SCHULER 
Fred  Schuler,  son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Frederick 
Schuler  died  at  the  Froman  lodging  house  early  Tues 
day  morning  of  a  species  of  heart  trouble.  He  was 
well  known  throughout  the  country  and  had  many 
friends.  He  had  been  ill  for  more  than  a  week  be- 


n8    TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

fore  his  death,  but  as  he  was  a  strong  appearing  man 
nothing  serious  was  expected  and  his  death  was  a 
great  surprise  to  his  many  friends. 

Tribune,  June  29th,  1903. 

FUNERAL  OF  LLOYD  CALL.  HE  W AS 
DROWNED  IN  THE  CORNELL  RES 
ERVOIR  LAST  FRIDAY 
Llyod  Call,  who  was  the  youngest  son  of  W.  A. 
Call  of  this  city,  in  company  with  Philip  Harding, 
went,  as  their  mothers  thought,  fishing.  But  in  their 
rounds  visited  the  new  Cornell  reservoir,  a  reservoir 
to  supply  the  Cornell  flocks.  It  is  not  a  very  large 
body  of  water,  but  it  is  very  deep  and  the  banks  are 
steep.  The  boys  went  bathing  and  as  neither  could 
swim  they  kept  near  the  edge.  Lloyd  Call  determined 
to  wade  out  as  far  as  he  could  and  in  doing  so  he 
slipped  and  fell  and  slid  down  a  steep  bank  in  the 
deepest  part  of  the  reservoir.  Young  Harding  at 
tempted  to  reach  him  with  a  pole,  but  being  unable  to 
do  so  fled  to  Dillon  and  reported  the  accident.  The 
reservoir  had  been  built  in  a  gulch  and  the  body  was 
found  in  a  trench  that  had  been  washed  in  the  bottom 
of  the  reservoir  before  the  construction  of  the  dam. 
At  this  place  it  was  about  18  feet  deep.  *  *  The 
service  at  the  Presbyterian  church  was  a  very  impres 
sive  one. 

Tribune,  July  loth,  1903. 

GOOD  CITIZEN  GONE.  CHRISTOPHER 
BURFIEND  PASSES  AWAY  WEDNESDAY 
MORNING.  HIS  ILLNESS  WAS  OF 


OTHER  SUDDEN  DEATHS  1 19 

SHORT  DURATION  AND  HIS  DEATH 
CAME  AS  A  SURPRISE  TO  THE  COM 
MUNITY. 

Another  of  Dillon's  pioneer  citizens  has  passed 
away.  Christopher  Burfiend  died  Wednesday  morning, 
with  catarrh  of  the  stomach.  *  *  *  He  came  to  this 
country  in  1861.  *  *  After  five  or  six  years  resi- 
defnce  in  California  he  went  to  ranching  near  Dillon 
in  partnership  with  his  brother  J.  H.  Burfiend, 
following  this  occupation  for  seventeen  years 
and  being  very  successful.  Later  they  engaged  in 
mercantile  enterprises  and  built  the  block  now  occu 
pied  by  the  Montana  Mercantile  Co.  *  *  *  The 
Burfiend  brothers  owned  the  Dillon  brewery  until 
four  years  ago  when  they  sold  it  to  J.  L.  Wiser.  *** 
Mr.  Burfiend  was  one  of  the  energetic  and  progressive 
spirits  of  Dillon  and  did  much  to  build  up  the  town 
and  community.  He  was  everywhere  recognized  as 
a  straightforward,  honest  business  man,  such  as  are 
an  honor  to  any  community.  *  *  *  He  was  a  mem 
ber  of  the  Lutheran  Church  and  lived  his  religion  in 
his  business  and  in  his  dealings  with  his  fellowman." 

Here  is  a  German  brewer  who  receives 
the  highest  commendation,  the  startling  state 
ment  being  made  that  he  lived  his  religion  in 
his  business  and  in  his  dealings  with  his  fellow 
men.  The  scripture  says,  "Woe  unto  him 
that  giveth  his  neighbor  drink,  that  puttest  thy 
bottle  to  him,  and  makest  him  drunken  also, 


I2O    TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

that  thou  mayest  look  on    their    nakedness" 
(Hab.2:i5). 

Tribune,  July  I7th,  1903. 

JAMES  MULANEY  DEAD.    DIED  SUDDENLY 
THURSDAY  AFTERNOON  AT  DILLON. 

WAS  AN  OLD  RESIDENT. 
James  Mulaney  died  at  Hart  lodging  house  of 
pneumonia.  He  was  engaged  in  shearing  sheep  in 
the  Centennial  Valley,  where  he  contracted  the  fever 
and  was  brought  to  town  Monday.  *  *  Thursday 
he  was  brought  by  friends  to  the  Hart  lodging  house 
where  almost  unassisted  he  walked  up  stairs.  This 
was  after  i  o'clock  and  before  7  o'clock  he  was  dead. 
He  had  accumulated  quite  a  little  property  in  this 
section,  owning  several  houses  and  lots  in  Dillon. 

Tribune,  Sept.  25th,  1903. 

DIED  THIS  MORNING.  ARTHUR  JONES- 
VICTIM  OF  A  PAINFUL  ACCIDENT. 
SLEAVE  CAUGHT  IN  RAPIDLY  REVOLV 
ING  AUGER  AND  RIGHT  ARM  TERRIBLY 
LACERATED—  BROUGHT  TO  DILLON 
FOR  TREATMENT  AND  WAS  APPARENT 
LY  DOING  WELL. 

Arthur  Jones,  whose  home  was  on  Thompson 
Avenue,  died  at  10:30  this  morning  from  pul 
monary  embolsion — the  formation  of  a  blood  clot 
on  the  right  lung.  He  was  brought  in  from  Red 
Rock  on  last  night's  12  o'clock  train,  suffering  with 
a  badly  lacerated  right  arm.  He  and  J.  H.  Palmer 
were  engaged  in  building  a  fence  for  James  Selway 


OTHER  SUDDEN  DEATHS  121 

near  the  head  of  Bloody  Dick  Creek  and  about  II 
o'clock  yesterday  morning,  while  they  were  operating 
a  steam  post  boring  machine,  Jones  reached  over  to 
clear  the  auger.  His  sleeve  caught  on  the  point  of 
the  rapidly  revolving  auger  and  his  arm  was  drawn 
into  the  machine,  making  a  badly  lacerated  wound 
about  six  inches  long  on  the  inner  side  of  the  right 
arm,  just  above  the  elbow.  He  was  taken  in  a  wagon 
from  there  to  Red  Rock  and  from  there  brought  to 
Dillon.  About  3  o'clock  this  morning  his  wound  was 
dressed  and  at  8  o'clock  he  was  in  good  condition  and 
resting  easier.  No  apprehension  was  entertained  by 
his  physicians  as  to  the  accident  resulting  fatally,  al 
though  they  had  some  fears  that  he  would  lose 
his  arm  from  strangulation.  *  *  *  Mr.  Jones  was 
a  young  man  twenty-two  years  of  age  and  leaves  a 
young  wife  and  little  child. 
Same  Issue. 

STOPS  RUNAWAY  HORSES  THEREBY  PRE 
VENTING  BAD  ACCIDENT. 
Oscar  Terry,  a  teamster  in    Big    Hole    Basin, 
knocked  down  and  run  over  by  four  horses  and  a 
wagon  loaded  with  wood  last  Saturday  and  now  lies 
in  Murray  and  Freund's  Hospital  in  a  critical  con 
dition. 

Tribune,  Oct.  23d,  1903. 

JOHN    BRADWELL    DIES    OF    PNEUMONIA 

AFTER  A  BRIEF  ILLNESS. 
After  an  illness  of  a  few  days,  John  Bradwell, 
aged  thirty-four  years,  died  at  the  home  of  his  father 


122    TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

in  Argenta,  Tuesday  night,  of  pneumonia.  John  Brad- 
well  was  well  known  in  this  part  of  the  country,  hav 
ing  lived  at  Bannack  and  Birch  Creek  for  a  number 
of  years  before  going  to  Argenta. 

Tribune,  Oct.  23d,  1903. 

DROWNED    SUNDAY.      Al KENS'    LITTLE 
GIRL  FELL  INTO  IRRIGATING  DITCH 

AND  WAS  DROWNED. 
Virginia  Ellen  Ruby  Aikens,  the  infant  child  of 
Alexander  Aikens,  a  threshing  machine  man,  who 
lives  on  Kentucky  avenue  fell  into  an  irrigating  ditch 
which  runs  past  the  home  of  the  family  ami  was 
drowned  Sunday. 

Tribune,  Nov.  2/th,  1903. 

WAS  MANSLAUGHTER.       THAT  WAS   THE 
VERDICT  OF  THE  JURY  IN 

POLLACK'S  CASE.  ' 

Of  all  men  in  the  state  of  Montana,  George  Pol 
lack,  the  murderer  of  "Dicky"  Martin  at  Bannack  had 
the  greatest  cause  to  be  thankful  yesterday.  The  act 
of  one  man  shooting  a  fellow  being  in  apparently  cold 
blood  and  escaping  with  a  ten  years'  sentence  in  the 
state  penitentiary  does  not  often  happen.  *  *  * 
During  the  time  Judge  Parker  was  speaking  Pollack 
stood  shifting  himself  from  one  foot  to  the  other, 
clearing  his  throat  and  coughing  as  he  felt  the  sting 
of  the  truth  of  the  court's  words. 

When  at  last  the  court  had  finished  and  pro 
nounced  the  sentence  of  ten  years  at  hard  labor  in 
the  state  penitentiary,  which  was  the  limit  for  the 


124    TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

crime  of  manslaughter,  Pollack  turned  and  left  the 
court  room  with  the  sheriff,  and  as  he  passed  down 
the  stairs  through  the  hallway  on  the  first  floor  of 
the  court  house  he  had  a  broad  grin  on  his  heartless 
countenance,  and  in  a  jesting  way  was  holding  up 
both  hands  with  his  fingers  spread  out  to  show  those 
in  the  hall  how  many  years  he  had. 


CHAPTER  VII 
OLD  CHURCH  APOSTASY 

During  the  three  years  after  the  Lord 
sanctified  me,  He  opened  my  eyes  fully 
to  the  apostasy  of  the  old  denominations.  I 
saw  the  Methodist  Church,  of  which  I  had 
been  a  member  for  nearly  twenty  years,  like 
a  dead  mother  wrapped  in  grave  clothes,  the 
fumes  from  the  putrefying  corpse  Stirling  ev 
eryone  that  came  in  contact  with  it.  The 
picture  was  a  most  impressive  and  true  one, 
and  I  was  thoroughly  convinced  that  I  would 
have  to  separate  from  the  old  Church  or  lose 
my  soul. 

When  our  friends  and  relatives  die  we 
bury  them,  and  the  same  principle  holds  good 
with  the  old  church  mother. 

During  two  years  of  aggressive  spirit 
ual  warfare,  I  learned  how  bitterly  the 
preachers  oppose  the  experience  and  doc 
trine  of  holiness,  and  saw  that  it  would 
be  impossible  to  please  God  and  receive  their 
endorsement.  For  many  years  I  had  been  at 
tending  the  Annual  Conferences  of  the  M.  E. 
Church,  and  had  seen  many  things  that 


126    TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

I  knew  were  not  consistent  with  vital  Chris 
tianity.  But  my  spiritual  vision  was  never 
clear  until  I  received  the  baptism  of  the  Holy 
Ghost.  This  wonderful  anointing  stirred  the 
powers  of  darkness  everywhere  I  went.  Peo 
ple  had  to  take  sides  for  or  against  God.  The 
experience  that  God  had  given  me  was  unfath 
omable,  and  hidden  mysteries  of  the  Gospel 
were  daily  being  revealed  to  my  heart.  Iniq 
uity  in  the  lives  of  people  was  uncovered  every 
where  T  went,  especially  in  the  churches,  where 
ghastly  skeletons  of  pride  and  corruption  were 
made  manifest.  To  have  remained  silent  on 
these  things  would  have  been  perilous. 

The  revival  that  my  brother  and  I  held  at 
Dillon,  was  used  of  God  to  show  me  the  utter 
futility  of  trying  to  preach  a  full  Gospel  and 
live  a  holy  life  in  the  Methodist  or  any  of 
the  old  denominations.  In  that  small  town 
there  were  a  few  people  that  wanted  to  do  the 
will  of  God,  but,  as  it  is  everywhere  else,  they 
were  like  lambs  in  the  paw  of  a  bear,  and  their 
shepherds  were  all  cowards. 

The  machinery  of  all  the  old  denom 
inations  is  operated  much  like  that  of  busi 
ness  corporations,  and  if  a  preacher  does 
not  serve  their  purpose,  he  will  be  caught  in 


OLD  CHURCH  APOSTASY  127 

the  wheels  and  ground  to  powder.  He  must 
obey  those  who  Have  money,  influence  and 
power,  regardless  of  their  morals.  Not  to  do 
this  is  to  commit  ecclesiastical  suicide.  Those 
who  enter  the  work  of  the  Lord  with  wholly 
good  intentions  soon  find  themselves  the  vic 
tims  of  bossism,  which  is  not  confined  to  poli 
tics  alone,  and  unable  to  stem  the  tide,  they 
sell  out  and  become  a  part  of  the  system. 

I  saw  that  I  would  have  to  work  on  an 
independent  basis,  or  lose  my  soul,  and  this  I 
could  not  afford  to  do.  I  had  to  warn  the 
people,  and  especially  my  own  husband  and 
brother,  of  the  danger  of  remaining  in 
connection  with  an  institution  that  was 
actually  fighting  the  principles  it  was  raised 
up  to  defend.  My  husband  and  brother  were 
still  members  of  the  conference  and  subject  to 
the  orders  of  Presiding  Elders  and  Bishops. 

After  many  months  of  prayer  the  Lord 
t  worked  upon  the  heart  of  my  husband  and 
made  him  willing  to  take  a  location,  so 
that  we  might  be  free  to  go  and  come  as  the 
Lord  led.  We  moved  to  Denver,  and  as  we 
had  no  salary  or  any  income  to  lean  upon, 
this  was  a  great  step  of  faith.  My  husband 
held  back  to  the  last  moment  before  he  would 


128    TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

give  his  consent  to  go,  but  with  persistent 
efforts  I  succeeded  in  getting  him  to 
make  the  arrangements  for  the  transfer 
of  our  household  goods.  While  he  was 
doing  this  I  went  to  Denver  and  found 
a  house.  The  Lord  wonderfully  led  in  every 
step.  In  less  than  a  month  He  had  given  me 
a  large  Gospel  tent,  which  was  erected  in  the 
heart  of  the  city.  Much  of  the  history  in  con 
nection  with  this  tent  is  given  in  Looking  Back 
from  Beulah. 

Soon  the  whole  city  and  surrounding  coun 
try  was  stirred  by  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel. 
Within  six  months  at  least  four  hundred  peo 
ple  professed  salvation  at  our  altars,  and  the 
holy  fire  spread  rapidly  in  different  parts  of 
the  state.  Sometimes  we  had  as  many  as 
three  open-air  meetings  in  operation  at  one 
time.  At  these  meetings,  under  the  mighty 
spell  of  the  Gospel,  men  and  women  would 
often  fall  on  their  knees  and  cry  for  mercy. 

The  city  officials,  with  but  few  exceptions, 
were  friendly  toward  us,  and  tried  to  protect 
our  services.  There  were  one  or  two  officers, 
however,  that  threatened  to  arrest  some  of 
the  workers  for  blocking  the  streets.  This 
proved  to  be  a  means  of  grace,  as  it  caused 


OLD  CHURCH  APOSTASY  129 

them  to  pray  more  and  to  keep  their  Gospel 
storehouse  full  of  ammunition. 

After  a  few  months  the  Lord  began  to 
talk  to  me  about  the  enlargement  of  the  work. 
Our  children  had  the  measles  and  one  took  a 
relapse  and  was  in  a  delicate  condition  for  six 
weeks.  During  this  time  I  was  at  his  bed 
side  almost  night  and  day.  When  all  in  the 
house  were  asleep  I  had  the  opportunity  to  pray 
and  find  out  God's  plans  for  the  work. 

Later,  a  meeting  was  held  in  a  tent 
at  Longmont.  This  meeting  stirred  all  of 
Northern  Colorado  and  people  came  for  miles 
to  attend.  Thousands  listened  to  the  Gospel  who 
declared  they  had  never  heard  it  preached  in 
its  purity  before.  The  work  continued  to 
grow,  and  in  1899,  we  were  compelled  to  open 
a  Bible  School  and  Training  Home  for  the 
converts  who  wished  to  become  missionaries 
and  preachers.  The  School  was  opened  in 
February,  1899,  in  a  house  on  Twenty-second 
street.  Three  months  later  we  moved  to  a 
better  house  at  2348  Champa  street,  where 
we  remained  for  five  years. 

The  School  was  operated  on  a  faith  basis, 
in  connection  with  every  night  services  in  the 
open-air  and  in  a  hall  on  Larimer  street. 

TRUTH — 9. 


130    TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

\\  hen  everything  was  moving  along  in  a 
prosperous  condition  we  went  to  Butte,  Mon 
tana,  to  open  a  mission.  At  this  time 
our  School  was  full  of  students  pre 
paring  for  the  missionary  field,  and 
others  were  making  application  to  enter. 
Our  annual  camp-meeting  was  billed  for  Den 
ver,  and  the  success  of  this  meeting  for  five 
ye-irs  had  depended  almost  wholly  upon  my 
own  efforts.  There  were  persons  who  had 
acted  in  an  official  capacity  that  were  mere 
figureheads  and  some  a  real  hindrance  to  the 
cause.  Nevertheless  the  Lord  commanded  us 
to  go. 

In  a  most  remarkable  way  the  Lord  pro 
vided  railroad  transportation  for  my  husband, 
myself  and  two  children.  Much  interesting 
history  might  be  written  on  the  opening  of 
the  work  there,  so  wonderfully  was  God's  hand 
manifested  in  every  undertaking. 

A  hall  was  secured  and  after  some  oppo 
sition  from  the  city  officials  we  were  given  the 
right  of  way  on  the  streets,  but  not  until  our 
faith  had  been  tested  to  the  extreme  limit.  A 
more  detailed  account  of  the  work  in  Butte 
has  been  given  in  another  book.  We  only  desire 
to  show  that  Butte,  a  veritable  Sodom,  received 


OLD  CHURCH  APOSTASY  131 

us,  and  for  seven  years  our  people  preached  a 
full  Gospel  in  that  city,  unmolested  by  city 
officials  and  others. 

But  not  so  with  the  little  town  of  Dillon, 
largely  made  up  of  those  who  had  an  outward 
show  of  morals  and  respectability,  but  who  in 
wardly  were  like  whitened  sepulchres  full 
of  dead  men's  bones.  There  is  a  vein  of 
criminality  running  through  the  inhabitants  of 
Beaverhead  County.  More  than  once  this 
has  been  demonstrated  by  outbursts  of  vio 
lence. 

At  the  urgent  request  of  some  of  our 
friends  living  at  Dillon  my  brother  and  his  wife 
were  sent  to  hold  meetings  and  take  charge  of 
the  work  there  for  a  time.  They  paid  $20  a 
month  for  a  house  in  which  to  live  and 
hold  services.  A  partition  was  removed  and 
the  house  served  the  purpose  of  a  church  and 
parsonage.  The  straight  preaching  of  the 
Word  did  not  fail  to  bring  results.  The  whole 
story  is  told  when  we  say  that  he  did  not  spare 
sin  either  in  or  out  of  the  churches.  The  cov 
ering  of  false  professors  was  taken  away  and 
in  their  unhappy  predicament  they  were  left 
exposed  to  the  gaze  of  the  public. 

In  the  meantime  souls  were  getting  con- 


132    TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

verted  in  the  old-time  way.  This  was  God's 
seal  on  my  brother's  ministry. 

The  churches  of  Dillon  were  no  more  than 
religious  club  houses  where  people  met  to 
gossip  and  display  their  finery  and  where  the 
tongue  of  the  flatterer  was  always  in  evidence. 
A  Holy  Ghost  revival  exposed  their  hypocrisy 
and  showed  them  up  to  a  disadvantage. 
Unwilling  to  repent  and  make  their  crooked 
paths  straight  they  determined  to  get  rid  of 
the  preacher. 

Among  those  that  had  been  converted  un 
der  his  ministry  were  a  number  of  our  own 
relatives,  some  of  whom  are  with  us  in  the 
work  at  the  present  time. 

When  the  Gospel  axe  was  laid  at  the  root 
of  the  tree  and  results  were  being  seen,  there 
was  a  mighty  stirring  in  the  town  and  com 
munity,  followed  by  an  outburst  of  wrath  equal 
to  that  of  the  Inquisition. 

The  meeting  house  was  surrounded  by  a 
mob  while  services  were  in  progress.  My 
brother  was  begged  by  friends  to  make  his  es 
cape,  and  did  so  through  a  back  door  and 
found  shelter  in  the  house  of  a  friendly  neigh 
bor,  but  the  lion  of  Dillon  which  had  tasted 
blood  on  so  many  occasions  was  not  to  be 


H 

= 
W 


W 


X 

O 


W 

hd 

- 

O 

- 

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H 


134    TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

baffled  now.  The  preacher  was  seized  and  led 
a  mile  out  of  the  city,  followed  by  a  jeering  mul 
titude.  After  repeated  threats  and  warnings 
to  leave  town,  he  was  divested  of  his  clothing 
and  covered  all  over  with  tar  roofing  paint, 
and  left  to  the  mercy  of  his  friends.  With 
difficulty  they  succeeded  in  removing  the  mix 
ture  fearing  that  the  closing  up  of  the  pores  of 
the  flesh  would  cause  his  immediate  death. 

Could  any  one  who  believes  the  verities  of 
God's  word  doubt  that  His  judgments  would 
fall  on  such  a  place  and  people? 

The  following  account  is  given  by  one  who 
knew  the  facts. 

On  Tuesday  evening,  when  the  holiness 
people  were  engaged  in  their  services  at  the 
home  of  Rev.  C.  W.  Bridwell,  a  mob  composed 
of  about  twenty  young  men  gathered  and  be 
gan  to  bombard  the  place.  Without  saying 
a  word  they  proceeded  to  smash  in  the  win 
dows  and  break  down  the  doors.  Entering  the 
house  they  began  hurling  the  people  in  every 
direction  knocking  down  an  old  lady  sixty 
seven  years  of  age,  and  striking  a  man  on  the 
head  with  a  club  who  attempted  to  check  them 
in  their  violence. 

Later,  they  secured  the  leader,  and  taking 


OLD  CHURCH  APOSTASY  135 

him  nearly  a  mile  out  of  town,  gave  him  a  coat 
of  roofing  paint.  After  Jesus  was  scourged 
He  was  led  out  of  the  city  and  crucified.  A 
fallen  Church  always  persecutes  God's  people. 
It  was  the  fallen  Church  that  crucified  Christ, 
that  persecuted  Luther,  Wesley  and  others. 
The  Pharisees  and  scribes  got  the  assistance 
of  the  Romans  to  kill  Christ,  so  the  Church  was 
the  power  back  of  the  Dillon  mob. 

The  following  was  taken  from  an  article 
printed  in  the  Rocky  Mountain  News, 
of  Denver.  "About  six  months  ago, 
Rev.  C.  W.  Bridwell,  a  member  of  The 
Pentecostal  Union  of  Denver,  went  to 
Dillon,  Mont.,  for  the  purpose  of  establishing 
a  branch  of  the  work  there.  He  was  accom 
panied  by  his  wife  and  family,  and  so  earnest 
were  their  endeavors  that  the  work  moved 
along  flourishingly.  The  peculiar  methods  of 
the  Pentecostal  sect  did  not  suit  the  Dillonites. 
The  former  persisted  in  holding  its  meetings 
and  singing  and  shouting  the  fervor  of  its  re 
ligious  joy,  while  the  oppositional  feeling  con 
tinued  to  grow.  Finally  a  mob  of  some  fif 
teen  or  twenty  young  men  appeared  at  the  hall 
one  night  while  services  were  in  progress  and 
very  effectually  broke  up  the  meeting.  They 


136    TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

took  the  preacher  out,  divested  him  of  his  cloth 
ing  and  applied  a  coat  of  tar  roofing  paint. 

"Before  Mr.  Bridwell  became  a  member  of 
The  Pentecostal  Union  he  was  a  Methodist 
minister.  He  built  the  church  at  Cripple  Creek 
and  was  pastor  at  Wray,  Colo.  He  is  a  grad 
uate  of  the  University  of  Denver  and  is  re 
garded  as  one  of  the  finest  workers  in  The 
Pentecostal  Union." 

I  was  in  Los  Angeles  at  the  time  and  saw 
an  account  of  the  affair  in  a  morning  paper. 
Knowing  my  brother  as  I  did  my  greatest  fear 
was  that  he  would  not  leave  when  warned  of 
more  trouble,  for  1  knew  the  Dillonites  well 
enough  to  have  some  comprehension  of  what 
would  follow.  It  would  have  been  going 
against  the  Scriptures  to  have  stayed  among 
them  after  such  treatment.  When  a  child  of 
God  is  in  doubts  as  to  what  to  do,  there  is  al 
ways  recourse  to  the  Scriptures.  After 
things  had  reached  the  state  that  they  had 
there  could  be  no  doubt  that  the  time  had  come 
for  the  preacher  to  shake  the  dust  off  his  feet 
as  a  witness  against  the  town. 

Some  people  refuse  to  stem  the  slightest 
opposition,  and  back  down,  compromise  and 
lose  their  souls,  when  they  should  bravely 


ffi 
W 

W 


o 
w 

o 

^ 

H 
W 
W 


o 

W 


138    TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

stand  and  make  the  figlu.  I  knew  that  my 
brother  was  not  a  coward  and  he  would  have 
to  be  convinced  on  Scriptural  grounds,  or  in 
fluence  brought  to  bear  upon  him  showing  that 
the  welfare  of  others  was  involved,  or  he 
would  not  budge  an  inch. 

During  the  day  I  felt  like  wiring  him  to 
go,  but  concluded  after  praying  over  the  matter 
to  leave  it  with  the  Lord.  Luke  10 : 10-1 1  says. 
"But  into  whatsoever  city  ye  enter,  and  they 
receive  you  not,  go  your  ways  out  into  the 
streets  of  the  same,  and  say,  Even  the  very 
dust  of  your  city,  which  cleaveth  on  us,  we  do 
wipe  off  against  you:  notwithstanding  be  ye 
sure  of  this,  that  the  kingdom  of  God  is  come 
nigh  unto  you." 

The  conditions  at  Dillon  were  similar 
to  those  on  the  island  of  Martinique  before 
the  city  of  St.  Pierre  was  destroyed  by  an 
eruption  from  a  volcano.  Christian  mission 
aries  had  been  shut  out  of  their  own  hired 
house  and  forced  to  leave  the  island  only  a 
short  time  before  the  city  was  deluged. 

In  derision  of  Christ  and  the  crucifixion, 
on  Easter  Sunday  they  made  a  pig  run  the 
gauntlet,  throwing  spears  at  it,  and  after 
wards  crucified  it.  There  is  a  limit  to  God's 


OLD  CHURCH  APOSTASY  139 

forbearance,  which  was  shown  by  the  destruc 
tion  of  30,000  inhabitants,  after  such  indigni 
ties  were  heaped  upon  the  missionaries  in  Mar 
tinique.  And  the  long  list  of  tragical  and  sud 
den  deaths  following  the  persecutions  of  Chris 
tians  at  Dillon,  Montana,  of  which  I  shall  be 
able  to  give  an  account  of  only  a  few,  shows 
that  the  wrath  of  God  has  been  provoked  by  the 
inhabitants  of  Dillon  and  Beaverhead  County. 
Evil  angels  seem  to  throng  the  atmosphere 
and  God  has  permitted  them  to  reap  their 
harvest. 

The  saddest  of  all  is  that  the  innocent 
have  had  to  suffer  with  the  guilty,  and  the  end 
is  not  yet.  "Be  not  deceived;  God  is  not 
mocked:  for  whatsoever  a  man  soweth,  that 
shall  he  also  reap." 

There  are  those  who  presume  that  they 
can  mock  at  God's  word,  persecute  His  proph 
ets,  and  thrust  them  out  from  among  them, 
and  still  escape  His  judgments.  But  at  the 
moment  when  they  are  least  expecting  it  ca 
lamity  falls. 

In  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  when  the 
sins  of  the  parents  were  being  visited  upon  the 
children,  the  inhabitants  were  crucified  in  such 
great  numbers  there  was  no  more  wood  from 


140    TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

which  to  make  crosses.  There  was  a  scene  of 
blood  and  carnage  unparalleled  in  preceding 
ages,  and  the  curse  of  God  is  still  resting  on  the 
Jews,  who  took  upon  themselves  the  responsi 
bility  of  the  crucifixion. 

After  people  have  offended  against  God 
they  often  have  dark  forebodings  and  some 
times  live  in  constant  fear.  They  imagine 
they  are  being  pursued  and  are  to  become  the 
victims  of  some  revengeful  monster,  and  thus 
the  scripture  is  fulfilled  which  says,  "The 
wicked  flee  when  no  man  pursueth." 

Again,  those  who  have  been  bold  in  their 
defiance  of  the  Almighty  labor  under  the  false 
impression  that  there  is  no  evil  that  can  befall 
them.  They  settle  down  in  a  state  of  carnal 
security,  even  while  the  avenger  is  about  to 
overtake  them.  And  just  about  the  time  when 
they  feel  the  most  secure,  and  are  comforting 
themselves  with  the  thought  that  the  idignation 
is  past  and  they  have  escaped,  sudden  calamity 
falls. 

They  may  escape  broken  bones,  instant 
or  tragical  death,  but  it  must  be  remembered 
that  disaster  comes  in  more  ways  than  one,  and 
what  some  people  might  not  consider  a  very 
great  calamity  may  be  indeed  the  greatest  of 


OLD  CHURCH  APOSTASY  141 

all.  When  people  strive  with  their  Maker 
and  the  Spirit  of  God  leaves  them,  there  could 
be  no  greater  calamity.  To  be  left  where  re 
pentance  is  impossible  and  to  die  in  one's  sins 
is  terrible  to  contemplate.  And  this  is  the 
state  that  many  are  in  who  have  refused  the 
counsel  of  God  at  the  hands  of  His  servants. 
Jesus  said  to  those  who  challenged  His  divinity, 
"I  go  my  way,  and  ye  shall  seek  me,  and  shall 
die  in  your  sins :  whither  I  go,  ye  cannot  come." 
After  the  Methodists  and  others,  suc 
ceeded  in  crushing  out  the  work  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  in  the  place,  they  were  hard  pressed  to 
keep  up  an  appearance  of  revival  work,  and 

invited  the  Rev.  Dr.  A ,    Pastor    of    the 

Mountain  View  Methodist  Church  of  Butte, 
to  come  and  assist  in  meetings.  The 

Rev.    A ,  had    built    a    new    church    at 

Butte  and  had  become  very  popular  as  a 
preacher  and  pastor.  I  was  present  when,  with 
much  flattery,  he  presented  Senator  W.  A. 
Clark,  who  laid  the  corner  stone  of  their 
new  church  building.  At  the  time  it  was  said 
that  Mr.  Clark  had  spent  nearly  a  million 
dollars  in  the  Legislature  of  Helena,  when  he 
was  elected  to  the  United  States  Senate.  But 
Dr.  A —  was  pleased  to  introduce  him  to  the 


142    TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

public  and  give  him  the  honor  of  laying  the 
corner  stone  of  the  new  church. 

At  the  time  we  were  conducting  our  mis-- 
sion  at  Butte  this  so-called  minister  of  the  Gos 
pel  and  the  Rev.  Jacob  Mills,  conspired  to  bar 
my  husband^and  myself  from  the  Sacramental 
board  at  his  church. 

The  day  following,  my  husband  was 
handed  a  marked  copy  of  the  Ohio  State  Jour 
nal.  The  article  designated,  as  I  remember  it, 
read  as  follows : 

The  Rev.   A is  pastor    of    the    Methodist 

Church  at  Butte,  Montana.  His  salary  is  $2,500  a 
year.  Not  long  since  he  was  rejected  from  the  church 
at  Toledo,  Ohio,  for  being  too  familiar  with  the  fair 
sex.  Later  he  was  thrown  out  of  the  conference  at 
Guthrie,  Ohio,  on  similar  charges,  but  through  the  in 
fluence  of  a  Methodist  Bishop  was  taken  back  into 
the  fold.  In  the  face  of  all  these  facts  he  is  serving 
a  church  at  Butte,  Montana,  and  pleasing  the  people 
well. 

I  sat  in  his  congregation  one  morning  and 
heard  "him  ridicule  a  certain  holiness  evangel 
ist  who  had  stepped  aside  from  the  paths  of 
virtue,  but  had  confessed  and  repented  of  his 

sins.     The  Rev.  A gave  holiness  a  thrust 

by  holding -up  before  the  public,  this  man,  who 


OLD  CHURCH  APOSTASY  143 

was  once  a  powerful  and  well  known  preacher 
of  the  Gospel  and  had  written  some  books  on 
the  subject  of  holiness  that  had  been  well  re 
ceived.  I  felt  it  would  be  perilous  not  to  re 
buke  him. 

At  the  close  of  the  service  he  walked  down 
the  aisle  in  which  I  was  standing.  I  asked  the 

Lord  to  help  me  and  said,  "Dr.  A ,  you 

have  held  up  a  man  to  ridicule  in  order  to  give 
holiness  a  thrust,  and  I  want  you  to  know  that 
I  am  aware  of  the  fact  that  you  are  guilty  of 
the  same  sin  that  you  have  condemned  in  an 
other."  .  He  stepped  back,  his  countenance 
changed,  his  lips  quivered,  and  as  soon  as  he 
could  command  his  speech  he  said,  "You  have 
reference  to  the  article  in  the  Ohio  State  Jour 
nal?"  "Yes  sir,"  was  the  reply. 

A  year  later  I  was  at  Butte  City  again 
and  attended  a  service  at  the  Methodist  church, 
this  time  a  class  meeting.  On  entering  the 
room  I  noticed  that  nearly  every  one  seemed  to 
be  depressed  in  spirit.  The  class  leader  prayed 
as  though  there  was  a  great  burden  on  his 
heart.  Afterward  he  said,  "Brethren,  there  is 
no  place  but  hell  for  the  scandal-bearer."  In 
stantly  it  struck  me  that  they  were  on  the  track 
of  their  pastor  and  were  unwilling  to  believe 


144    TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

what  they  had  heard.       I    was    rightly    im 
pressed,  for  this  was  the  case. 

The  pastor  even  then  was  supposed  to  be 
on  the  Pacific  Coast  for  a  vacation,  but  having 
heard  that  some  things  in  his  life  were  being 
uncovered  and  producing  an  unwholesome 
odor,  he  rushed  home,  and  to  the  surprise  of 
all,  walked  into  the  pulpit  a  half  hour  later, 
when  another  had  been  engaged  to  preach. 
The  report  was  going  that  he  was  more  greatly 
involved  in  scandal  at  Butte  than  he  was 
in  Ohio,  where  he  had  been  turned  out  of  the 
conference.  When  it  was  found  that  they 
could  no  longer  cover  up  his  track,  an  exchange 
of  pastors  was  made  with  Salt  Lake  City. 

Rev.  H ,  Pastor  of  the  First  M.  E.  Church, 

was  sent  to  Butte,  and  Dr.  A —  -  took  his  place 
as  pastor  in  the  Mormon  Capital. 

Dr.  A —  was  one  of  the  characters  that  re 
ceived  endorsement  and  a  hearty  welcome  at 
Dillon  after  they  had  rejected  and  persecuted 
our  people. 

The  lOQth  Psalm  shows  divine  interven 
tion  where  there  is  persecution  of  God's  chil 
dren.     The  Psalmist  is  impersonating  Christ 
makes  a  plea  for  deliverance  from  his  enemies. 
His  is  the  cry  of  every  human  heart  where  Je- 


OLD  CHURCH.  APOSTASY  145 

sus  truly  dwells.  He  says,  ''Hold  not  thy 
peace,  O  God  of  my  praise :  For  the  mouth  of 
the  wicked  and  the  mouth  of  the  deceitful  are 
opened  against  me:  they  have  spoken  against 
me  with  a  lying  tongue."  Never  were  words 
more  applicable  to  a  people  than  these  were  to 
those  who  fought  against  the  cause  of  Christ 
in  this  town  of  Dillon.  Certainly  the  mouths  of 
wicked  and  deceitful  men  were  there  speaking 
against  those  who  were  trying  .to  lift  up  the 
Cross.  They  fought  without  a  cause  those 
who  loved  their  souls  well  enough  to  put  the 
right  stamp  on  sin. 

The  wicked  must  be  checked  or  the  world 
would  lose  its -salt,,  and  pandemonium  would 
reign,  therefore  the  Psalmist  said,  "Set  thou 
a  wicked  man  over  him:  and  let  Satan  stand 
at  his  right  hand.  When  he  shall  be  judged, 
let  him  be  condemned:  and  let  his  prayer  be 
come  sin.  Let  his  days  be  few ;  and  let  another 
take  his  office.  Let  his  children  be  fatherless, 
and  his  wife  a  widow.  Let  his  children  be 
continually  vagabonds,  and  beg:  let  them  seek 
their  bread  also  out  of  their  desolate  places." 

All  who  understand  the  Scriptures  know 
that  the  Psalmist  was  not  seeking  personal 
revenge.  His  purpose  was  infinitely  higher 

TRUTH — 10. 


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OLD  CHURCH  APOSTASY  -147 

than  this.  He  wanted  the  kingdom  of  right 
eousness  to  flourish  and  wickedness  to  be  put 
down,  and  to  this  end  he  prayed.  No  person 
with  enmity  in  his  heart  or  seeking  revenge 
can  be  a  Christian.  He  must  be  willing  to 
suffer  the  loss  of  all  things,  and  endure  per 
secution  and  affliction  for  Christ's  sake.  To 
let  bitterness  come  into  the  soul  would  mean 
spiritual  ruin. 

The  object  of  a  true  Christian,  first  and 
last,  is  to  do  the  will  of  God  and  glorify  His 
name  on  the  earth.  When  personal  ambition 
creeps  in,  his  power  for  good  is  lost.  Jesus 
taught  His  disciples  to  pray,  "Thy  kingdom 
come.  Thy  will  be  done  in  earth,  as  it  is  in 
heaven."  Before  Christ's  kingdom  can  be 
established  on  the  earth  the  wicked  will  have 
to  be  cut  down.  If  the  children  of  the  un 
godly  should  be  permitted  to  go  unpunished 
the  price  that  has  been  paid  for  man's  re 
demption  would  be  in  vain.  Therefore  it 
is  not  an  unrighteous  thing  to  pray  for  the 
rod  of  chastisement  to  fall  upon  those  who 
repeatedly  spurn  the  messages  of  God.  It  is 
far  better  for  the  children  of  the  wicked  to  be 
vagabonds  and  beggars  than  to  be  in  a  place 
of  influence  and  power.  Poverty  is  often 


148    TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

made  a  blessing.  If  some  people  had  an 
abundance  of  this  world's  goods  their  lives 
would  be  a  curse.  Therefore  the  Psalmist 
says,  "Let  the  extortioner  catch  all  that  he 
hath;  and  let  the  strangers  spoil  his  labor." 
When  the  ungodly  prosper  the  fortresses  of  sin 
are  strengthened. 

Children  are  usually  what  their  parents 
make  them.  The  Word  says  that  the  sins  of 
the  parents  are  visited  upon  the  children  unto 
the  third  and  fourth  generation,  and  this  being 
true,  it  is  easy  to  understand  why  the  Psalmist 
said,  "Let  there  be  none  to  extend  mercy  unto 
him:  neither  let  there  be  any  to  favor  his 
fatherless  children." 

It  might  seem  that  it  is  cruel  to  make  such 
a  prayer,  and  it  would  be  if  only  the  children 
were  involved,  but  it  embraces  the  whole  con 
flict  between  sin  and  righteousness,  and  there 
fore  the  prayer  is  made  for  the  defeat  of  the 
wicked  and  the  triumph  of  the  righteous.  Chil 
dren  who  die  before  they  come  to  the  age  of  ac 
countability  are  saved  through  the  atonement. 
After  they  have  been  thrown  upon  their  own 
responsibility,  hereditary  sins  often  become 
the  ruling  passions  of  their  lives  and  it  is  im 
possible  for  their  influence  to  be  .^r<  ><><!. 


OLD  CHURCH  APOSTASY  149 

The  I4th  verse  says,  "Let  the  iniquity  of  his 
fathers  be  remembered  with  the  Lord:  and  let 
not  the  sin  of  his  mother  be  blotted  out."  Time 
is  not  taken  into  consideration  with  God, — a 
thousand  years  is  but  as  a  watch  in  the  night. 
There  can  be  nothing  more  foolish  than  to 
imagine  that  God  will  forget.  Forgetfulness 
is  an  infirmity  that  belongs  to  man  in  his  fallen 
state.  With  him  time,  like  a  great  mountain, 
separates  the  events  of  his  life,  and  when  he 
tries  to  look  back  there  is  much  to  obscure 
his  vision.  But  not  so  with  the  Almighty. 
There  are  no  mountains  to  rise  above  His  all- 
piercing  eye.  Isaiah  says  He  "hath  measured 
the  waters  in  the  hollow  of  his  hand,  and  meted 
out  heaven  with  the  span,  and  comprehended 
the  dust  of  the  earth  in  a  measure,  and  weighed 
the  mountains  in  scales,  and  the  hills  in  a  bal 
ance"  (Isa.  40:12).  When  man  breaks  His 
laws,  mistreats  His  children  and  insults  His 
majesty,  years  may  intervene,  but  when  such 
persons  are  least  expecting  it  calamity  over 
takes  them.  About  the  time  they  think  that 
God  has  forgotten,  the  avenging  angel,  with 
out  further  warning,  steps  in,  and  disaster  and 
death  follow. 

In  the  1 5th  verse  of  Psalm  109  he  asks 


150    TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

that  the  memory  of  the  wicked  be  cut  off  from 
the  earth,  because  they  showed  not  mercy  and 
persecuted  the  poor  and  needy,  and  slew  the 
broken-hearted. 

The  poor  and  needy  are  the  children  of 
God.  Jesus  said,  "Blessed  are  the  poor  in 
spirit:  for  theirs  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven" 
(Matt.  5:3).  A  person  may  have  nothing  of 
this  world's  goods  and  yet  be  exceedingly 
wicked,  but  no  one  can  be  a  New  Testament 
saint  without  a  humble  and  contrite  spirit.  2 
Cor.  6:10  says,  "As  poor,  yet  making  many 
rich ;  as  having  nothing,  and  yet  possessing  all 
things."  "The  sacrifices  of  God  are  a  broken 
spirit:  a  broken  and  a  contrite  heart,  O  God, 
thou  wilt  not  despise"  (Psa.  51:17). 

The  outbursts  of  violence  that  character 
ized  the  opposition  to  the  preaching  of  a  full 
Gospel  at  Dillon,  has  had  scarcely  a  parallel 
in  Christian  civilization.  Much  that  has  been 
written  on  the  subject  it  is  deemed  best  not  to 
publish  at  this  time,  as  it  involves  relation 
ships  that  might  cause  much  embarrassment. 
It  will  perhaps  be  better  appreciated  some  time 
in  the  future. 

After  my  brother  and  his  family  took  their 
departure,  things  were  wrought  up  to  such  a 


OLD  CHURCH  APOSTASY  151 

tension  that  the  friends  of  the  work  were  de 
termined  not  to  give  way  to  the  enemy  and  in 
sisted  on  our  sending  other  workers  to  the 
place.  We  did  so,  and  the  meetings  were  con 
tinued  without  any  great  outbreaks  of  violence, 
any  more  than  the  throwing  of  stones,  and  the 
smashing  of  window  lights  by  the  children. 
The  old  beasts  of  prey  seemed  for  a  time  to 
have  their  wrath  appeased. 

But  when  it  was  necessary  for  certain  rea 
sons  for  the  writer  to  be  at  Dillon  a  few  days, 
they  arose  from  their  lairs  and  began  to  roar. 
I  was  told  that  threats  were  being  made,  and 
that  there  was  likely  to  be  another  outburst  of 
persecution,  but  true  to  the  spirit  of  the  Chris 
tian  martyrs  I  had  no  fear.  There  has  never 
been  a  time  since  God  called  me  to  take  the  Cal 
vary  route  that  I  have  been  afraid  of  either 
men  or  devils.  Matthew  10:28  says,  "And 
fear  not  them  which  kill  the  body,  but  are  not 
able  to  kill  the  soul :  but  rather  fear  him  which 
is  able  to  destroy  both  body  and  soul  in  hell." 

I  have  never  seen  the  time  since  I  was 
converted  that  I  would  not  lay  down  my  life 
rather  than  disobey  God.  Many  times  in 
my  work  and  travels  God  has  wrought  deliver 
ance  from  railroad  wrecks,  steamship  disasters 


152    TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

and  other  conditions  where  my  life  was  in 
danger,  and  I  felt  calm  and  restful.  I  knew 
that  the  Lord  had  led  me  to  Dillon  at  this  time, 
and  that  He  was  abundantly  able  to  protect 
me,  regardless  of  what  I  might  have  to  face. 

But  others  were  alarmed  when  they  heard 
the  rumors  that  were  afloat.  And  true  to  their 
premonitions,  one  of  Dillon's  honored  citizens 
entered  the  room  where  I  was  stopping,  on 
a  stormy  afternoon,  took  me  by  the  hair  and 
dragged  me  from  the  foot  of  the  bed  and 
across  the  room,  and  struck  me  an  awful  blow 
on  the  side  of  the  head. 

And  had  it  not  been  for  two  women  in  the 
room  who  fought  desperately  for  my  life  the 
assault  no  doubt  would  have  resulted  in  my 
death.  The  screams  of  some  of  the  mission 
aries  who  came  in  later  brought  help  just  at 
the  opportune  time.  One  of  the  young  women, 
who  had  been  a  Methodist  Deaconess  for  a 
number  of  years  before  joining  our  organiza 
tion,  came  in  just  at  the  critical  moment.  My 
assailant  called  her  a  black-eyed  witch  and  gave 
her  a  blow  in  the  face,  which  resulted  in  break 
ing  the  bridge  of  her  nose.  She  was  in  deli 
cate  health  at  the  time  and  died  at  Los  Angeles 
a  short  time  afterward. 


OLD  CHURCH  APOSTASY  153 

Friends  persuaded  me  to  lodge  out  of  the 
city  that  night  and  the  next  day  I  left  for  Den 
ver. 

A  few  of  the  missionaries  remained  in  the 
town  for  a  short  time,  but  their  lives  were  con 
stantly  in  danger,  as  great  stones  were  hurled 
through  the  windows  of  the  house,  and  some  of 
them  narrowly  escaped  being  struck.  Evi 
dently  those  who  were  doing  the  mischief  were 
backed  up  by  the  Church  people  and  business 
men. 

When  God's  wrath  is  burning  against  a 
city  it  is  time  for  His  people  to  get  out.  Angels 
hastened  Lot  and  his  family  out  of  Sodom  be 
fore  fire  and  brimstone  were  rained  from 
heaven. 

Luke  10:13-16  says,  "Woe  unto  thee,  Cho- 
razin !  woe  unto  thee,  Bethsaida !  for  if  the 
mighty  works  had  been  done  in  Tyre  and  Si- 
don,  which  have  been  done  in  you,  they  had  a 
great  while  ago  repented,  sitting  in  sackcloth 
and  ashes.  But  it  shall  be  more  tolerable  for 
Tyre  and  Sidon  at  the  judgment,  than  for 
you.  And  thou,  Capernaum,  which  art  ex 
alted  to  heaven,  shalt  be  thrust  down  to  hell. 
He  that  heareth  you  heareth  me;  and  he  that 
despiseth  you  despiseth  me;  and  he  that  de- 


154    TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

spiseth  me  despiseth  him  that  sent  me." 

There  were  a  number  of  persons,  some  of 
whom  were  my  own  relatives,  who  realized  that 
the  people  of  Dillon  and  Beaverhead  County 
had  provoked  the  wrath  of  the  Almighty,  and 
as  a  result  the  scourge  of  death  was  passing 
over  the  place.  They  were  not  long  in  getting 
their,  business  affairs  in  shape  to  leave.  Some 
of  them  found  refuge  under  the  wings  of  our 
Organization  and  have  had  no  desire  to  return 
to  their  old  environment. 

Our  missionaries  also  left,  not  to  return. 
And  the  little  town  of  Dillon  stands  today  with 
its  long  list  of  tragedies,  as  barren  of  spiritual 
life  as  a  Sahara  desert,  and  the  avenging  angel 
continues  to  stretch  out  his  rod  over  the  place. 
If  we  judge  by  some  correspondence  and  news 
paper  reports  there  has  been  but  little  cessa 
tion  of  tragedies  in  the  past  seven  years. 


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CHAPTER  VIII 
MORE  RECENT  TRAGEDIES  AT  DILLON 

A  recent  Dillon  paper  gave  accounts  of  at 
least  three  sudden  deaths.-  An  uncle  by  mar 
riage  at  whose  home  I  lived  for  two  years  was 
killed  near  Dillon,  by  being  thrown  from  a 
wagon. 

The  companion  of  a  woman  who  attended 
our  services  regularly  was  killed  by  a  runaway 
team  shortly  after  our  missionaries  left  Dillon. 
And  so  I  could  continue  to  multiply  incidents 
that  resulted  in  the  sudden  and  tragical  deaths 
of  many  others,  if  I  had  time  and  space  to 
do  so.  It  is  only  with  a  sense  of  duty  to 
God  and  my  fellowmen  that  I  relate  any  of 
them.  My  only  desire  is  to  glorify  Him,  and 
to  tell  people  that  there  is  a  limit  beyond  which 
His  forbearance  will  not  go. 

But  to  do  the  subject  justice  and  to  give 
the  reader  a  fair  idea  of  what  took  place  fol 
lowing  the  rejection  of  the  Gospel  and  the  per 
secution  of  our  people,  it  is  no  more  than  fair 
that  a  few  other  incidents  should  be  related. 


MORE  RECENT  TRAGEDIES  AT  DILLON  157 

Dillon  Tribune,  Feb.  23d,  1906. 

Dillon  was  shocked  yesterday  morning  by  the 
news  that  F.  C.  Kress,  Editor  and  Publisher  of  the 
Dillon  Examiner,  was  dead.  His  body  was  discov 
ered  by  Dr.  W.  V.  Kingsbury  at  an  early  hour  yes 
terday  morning.  On  Wednesday  Mr.  Kress  was 
hardly  able  to  attend  to  his  duties  at  the  Examiner's 
office,  having  been  ailing  for  several  days.  Wednes 
day  evening  while  eating  his  dinner  in  a  restaurant 
where  he  was  boarding  during  the  absence  of  his  wife, 
he  was  apparently  attacked  by  asthma,  complaining 
that  he  had  difficulty  in  breathing.  His  friends  were 
notified  and  he  was  removed  to  his  home  on  South 
Washington  St.  Dr.  Kingsbury  remained  with  him 
until  after  midnight,  and  as  he  was  then  much  re 
covered  and  apparently  not  in  serious  danger,  Dr. 
Kingsbury  stepped  over  to  his  home  a  little  while. 

At  an  early  hour  Dr.  Kingsbury  saw  a  light  in 
the  Kress  home,  and  he  immediately  went  back  there 
and  discovered  Mr.  Kress  dead.  *  *  The  whole 
community  mourns  the  death  of  Mr.  Kress,  who  has 
been  a  leading  citizen  of  Dillon  ever  since  he  made 
his  home  here  a  number  of  years  ago,  etc. 

Mr.  Kress  was  one  of  the  editors  that  took 
sides  with  the  townspeople  when  my  brother 
received  such  shameful  treatment  at  their 
hands,  and  no  doubt  the  avenging  angel  de-. 
cided  not  to  spare  him. 


158    TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

A  TERRIBLE  CHARGE 
E.  Kelley  Wanted 

If  reports  are"  correct,  one  of  the  most  outrag 
eously  inhuman  crimes  ever  committed  in  the  state 
was  committed  in  Dillon  last  Sunday  morning,  be 
tween  the  hours  of  two  and  five  o'clock,  and  one  that 
would  have  resulted  in  immediate  hanging  in  the 
early  days. 

The  crime,  the  nature  of  which  I  do  not 
care  to  relate,  was  committed  a  few  months 
after  my  brother's  shameful  treatment  by  the 
people  of  Dillon.  The  guilty  person  was  a 
young  man  twenty-seven  years  old,  the  victim 
an  aged  woman. 

Dillon  Tribune,  Sept.  i8th,  1904. 

Mrs.  Harriet  M.  Stout,  aunt  of  A.  L.  Stone, 
died  at  his  home  in  this  city  about  1 1 :2O  last  night. 
Her  death  was  very  unexpected  as  she  had  been  only 
ill  since  Wednesday.  And  when  the  physician  left 
the  house  about  9  o'clock  last  evening,  her  condition 
was  so  much  improved  that  he  said  she  would  be 
very  much  better  in  the  morning.  However,  the  end 
came  a  little  over  two  hours  later. 

Mr.  Stone  was  one  of  our  bitterest  foes. 

DILLON'S  CRIMINAL  CASES 
Monday  morning  at  9  o'clock  the  usual  hour  for 
the  opening  of  the  court,  the  news  that  Judge  Parker 
was  unable  to  be  present  was  given  out.     *     *    The 


MORE  RECENT  TRAGEDIES  AT  DILLON  159 

news  was  a  complete  surprise  to  all  present.  While 
regretting  Judge  Parker's  inability  to  attend  court  at 
this  season,  it  might  not  be  inopportune  to  touch 
briefly  on  the  volume  of  business  to  be  done  in  the 
court  of  this  county.  There  are  now  one  hundred 
cases  on  the  docket  for  trial  or  settlement,  twenty  of 
which  are  criminal  cases  with  defendants  either  in 
the  county  jail  or  out  on  bail. 

This  will  give  some  idea  of  the  criminal 
record  of  Dillon  and  Beaverhead  County,  judg 
ing  from  the  volume  of  business  that  was  to  be 
attended  to  at  the  September  court. 

SUICIDE  BY  TAKING  MORPHINE 

Word  was  received  at  Dillon  Monday  that  Giles, 
employed  on  the  ranch  of  Al.  Noyes,  had  committed 
suicide.  On  Thursday  he  took  a  dose  of  morphine, 
dying  at  3  o'clock  in  the  afternoon. 

WILFRED  VERMILION  MURDERED  IN 
SALT  LAKE 

Wilfred  A.  S.  Vermilion  was  murdered  in  his 
drug  store  by  some  thief  who  tried  to  rob  the  place, 
— this  is  the  belief  of  those  who  are  investigating  the 
matter.  *  *  Vermilion's  father  arrived  last  even 
ing  from  Dillon,  Mont.  He  conferred  with  Coroner 
Frank  Clark.  He  will  leave  no  stone  unturned  in 
running  down  the  man  who  shot  his  son. 

Wilfred  Vermilion  came  to  Dillon  with  his  par 
ents  when  a  small  boy.  He  received  his  education  in 
the  Dillon  schools,  grew  up  to  manhood  here  and 


160    TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

was  ever  a  model  boy  and  man.  Those  who  have 
known  him  have  always  admired  him  for  his  excel 
lent  character,  his  honesty  and  the  high  ideals  which 
he  held.  His  father  put  him  in  business  in  Salt  Lake 
only  a  few  months  ago  and  he  was  succeeding  most 
admirably,  having  more  than  doubled  the  business  of 
the  drug  store  he  had  bought  since  he  had  secured 
the  ownership. 

The  family  have  the  sympathy  of  all  Dillon. 
Wilfred  was  the  only  boy  and  was  the  idol  of  the 
family.  The  father  took  the  greatest  pride  in  tell 
ing  of  the  success  with  which  his  son  was  meeting, 
and  while  waiting,  for  the  train  Tuesday  morning  he 
was  talking  to  the  night  depot  agent,  telling  him  that 
he  was  just  starting  for  a  visit  with  his  boy  at  Salt 
Lake,  who  was  in  the  drug  business  and  doing  so 
well,  at  the  same  time  little  dreaming  that  a  telegram 
had  been  received  a  few  minutes  before  by  the  night 
man  saying  that  Fred  had  been  fatally  shot. 

Wilfred  had  taken  all  the  degrees  in  Masonry 
that  he  could  obtain  in  Dillon,  having  finished  up  in 
the  Knights  Templar  on  New  Year's  Eve,  last  De 
cember.  Dillon  Tribune,  Aug.  26th,  1904. 

Same  Issue. 

PROF.  E.  J.  PASSMORE  IS  DEAD— REPORTED 
DYING  AT  NOON— LATER   MESSAGE 
SAID  END  HAD  COME— BODY  AR 
RIVED  THIS  EVENING 

Prof.  E.  J.  Passmore  is  very  ill  in  St.  James 
Hospital  at  Burte,  and  grave  doubts  are  entertained 


MORE  RECENT  TRAGEDIES  AT  DILLON  161 

as  to  his  recovery.  He  left  yesterday  afternoon  with 
his  wife  and  daughter  for  Seattle  where  he  expected 
to  gain  in  health,  but  after  reaching  Butte  he  was 
taken  with  a  sinking  spell  and  has  been  growing  rap 
idly  worse  since. 

A  telephone  message  received  here  this  morning 
announced  his  condition,  and  on  all  sides  expressions 
of  sorrow  and  sympathy,  for  Mrs.  Passmore  have  been 
heard. 

Another  message  received  just  before  going  to 
press,  states  that  Prof.  Passmore  died.  Dillon  is 
cast  in  gloom. 

DEATH  OF  MISS  VIOLA  RICH 

The  funeral  of  the  late  Miss  Viola  Rich  was  held 
last  Sunday  afternoon  at  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church.  Rev.  A.  A.  Luce  conducted  the  services. 
The  members  of  the  Rebecca  Lodge  and  the  Woman's 
Relief  Corps  attended  in  a  body,  and  the  interment 
was  under  the  auspices  of  the  Rebecca  Lodge,  etc. 

Miss  Viola  Rich  had  lived  in  Dillon  twenty-four 
years.  During  that  time  she  made  every  one  her 
friend.  To  know  her  was  to  love  her.  Her  charac 
ter  in  every  way  was  of  the  loveliest.  Her  patience 
under  all  reverses  was  remarkable.  She  was  a  de 
voted  Christian  and  her  life  was  one  worthy  to  be 
taken  as  an  example  to  be  followed  by  any  one. 
Needless  to  say  that  she  will  be  greatly  missed  and 
Dillon  mourns  her  loss. 

Aug.  I9th,  1906. 

Over-indulgence    in    liquor    led    eleven-year-old 
John  Hughes  of  Butte  to  an  awful  death  last  night  be- 
TRUTH — n. 


162    TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

neath4the  car  wheels  of  an  excursion  train  returning 
from  Dillon.  Drunk  from  beer  drank  at  a  picnic  the  lad 
fell  from  the  platform  of  the  first  car  and  the  entire 
train  passed  over  him.  Hughes'  right  leg  was  sev 
ered  at  the  hip.  His  right  foot  was  smashed  and  his 
left  arm  cut  off. 

While  the  train  was  backing  up  to  pick  up  young 
Hughes'  body  another  fatality  was  averted  only  by 
the  presence  of  mind  of  a  young  man  whose  name  is 
not  known.  A  man  under  the  influence  of  liquor 
made  his  way  to  the  platform  and  fell  through.  The 
unknown  man  grabbed  his  coat  and  succeeded  in 
holding  him  off  the  rails  until  the  train  was  stopped. 

The  Coroner's  Jury  called  the  attention  of  the 
Grand  Jury  to  the  fact  that  liquor  was  being  sold  to 
minors  within  -the  county. 

ll'ASOX  J.  OLIVER  WAS  FOULLY  MURDERED 
Mr.  Oliver  Returned  Sunday  with  the  Remains — Fu 
neral  Held  Monday  Afternoon — Many  Sympa 
thizing  Friends  Attend — Story  of  the  Crime,  Pur 
suit  and  Capture. 

The  remains  of  Wason  Oliver,  accompanied  by 
the  father,  W.  M.  Oliver,  arrived  at  Dillon  from  Hel 
ena  on  the  early  morning  train  last  Sunday.  *  *  * 
The  sadness  of  the  scene  witnessed  by  those  who  bore 
the  remains  of  the  murdered  boy  into  his  old  home 
was  beyond  description  and  every  heart  was  pro 
foundly  touched  by  the  boundless  grief  of  the  family. 
The  funeral  took  place  at  the  home  Monday  after 
noon,  and  a  very  large  attendance  made  plain  the 


INDIAN     GIRLS PHOTO    TAKEN     NEAR    DILLON 


164    TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

sympathy  and  sorrow  of  the  Dillon  people. 

Services  were  conducted  by  Rev.  Dr.  Tilden, 
Pastor  of  the  First  Baptist  Church,  Rev.  Dr.  Martin  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  Rev.  S.  D.  Hooker  of 
the  Episcopal  Church.  The  music  was  furnished  by 
picked  voices  from  the  different  choirs  of  the  city. 

\\  ason  Oliver  was  lorn  in  Dillon  May  I3tb,  1884. 
He  was  a  member  of  one  of  Dillon's  oldest  and  most 
highly  respected  families,  his  father  at  present  being 
chairman  of  the  Board  of  County  Commissioners. 
He  was  sociable  and  of  a  kindly  nature,  and  was  es 
pecially  considerate  of  his  mother's  great  love,  a  trait 
always  adorable.  Although  one  who  prized  his  home 
surroundings  and  the  devotion  of  family  ties,  he  de 
sired  to  personally  seek  and  make  his  own  home  and 
therefore  left  Dillon  about  two  years  ago  for  the 
Pacific  Coast  with  a  view  of  locating  there  should  he 
find  it  desirable.  Later,  he  returned  to  Dillon  and  last 
May  left  here  for  the  Alberta  country  in  Canada,  for 
the  purpose  of  taking  up  land.  *  *  * 

Early  last  month  he  started  for  home  for  the 
purpose  of  wintering  ^his  stock  here.  He  had  an 
excellent  outfit,  five  splendid  horses  and  some  money, 
and  for  these  he  was  murdered  near  Wolfe  Creek, 
about  forty  miles  north  of  Helena  by  a  Frenchman 
with  whom  he  was  traveling. 

The  Helena  Independent  says,  W.  J.  Oli 
ver,  the  young  man  from  Beaverhead  County, 
whose  body  was  found  in  a  shallow  grave  near 
Wolfe  Creek,  Friday,  was  killed  by  a  s 


MORE  RECENT  TRAGEDIES  AT  DILLON  165 

< 

blow  on  the  right  side  of  the  head,  the  weapon 
being  a  neck-yoke  or  round  iron  bar.  It  will 
not  be  necessary  to  give  the  details  of  this 
story. 

We  have  persons  in  our  institution  who 
were  personally  acquainted  with  young  Oliver. 
They  knew  something  of  his  life  and 
declare  that  they  believe  he  caused  more 
sorrow  in  homes  in  Beaverhead  County  than 
any  other  of  its  young  men.  One  of  these 
persons,  a  young  man,  heard  Mr.  Oliver  boast 
of  the  liberties  he  had  taken  with  certain 
young  women  and  at  the  same  time  mark  an 
other  victim  to  be  sacrificed  on  the  red-flamed 
altar  of  passion. 

The  Tribune  states  that  he  went  to  the  Pa 
cific  Coast  to  seek  and  make  a  home  of  his  own 
and  that  later  he  returned  to  Dillon  and  left 
for  the  Alberta  country  in  Canada.  Did  he 
not  seek  other  environments  because  he  was 
compelled  to  do  so?  With  all  the  necktie 
tragedies  for  which  Dillon  has  been  famous,  if 
reports  are  true  it  is  a  wonder  that  this  young 
man  made  his  escape  beyond  the  borders  of 
Beaverhead  County. 

It  seems  to  have  ever  been  the  policy  of 
the  Tribune  Editor  to  cover  up  facts,  especially 


1 66    TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

those  that  might  cause  his  patrons  embarrass 
ment.  It  would  not  do  for  the  Tribune  office 
not  to  be  fragrant  with  the  scent  of  Dillon's 
roses,  therefore  every  unclean  odor  must  be 
banished  as  quickly  as  possible. 

In  the  same  issue. 

OWEN  ELLIS  IS  KILLED  BY  SID  HO  UK 

The  shooting  occurred  about  5  o'clock  this  morn 
ing.  So  far  as  we  have  been  able  to  learn  the  par 
ticulars  are  as  follows : — 

Ted  Ellis,  brother  of  Owen  Ellis,  was  engaged  in 
a  poker  game  with  Houk,  and  the  two  became  in 
volved  in  a  dispute  which  ended  in  a  fight.  Owen 
Ellis  went  to  the  assistance  of  his  brother.  Houk 
said,  "I  will  kill  you,"  rushed  from  the  room,  secured 
his  gun  and  fired,  instantly  killing  him. 

THOMAS  H.  HAMILTON  PASSED  AWAY 
LAST  NIGHT 

Thomas  Hamilton,  traveled  extensively  through 
out  the  United  States,  making  life  as  pleasant  for 
himself  as  possible,  etc.  Funeral  will  take  place 
Monday  afternoon. 

Tribune,  Oct.  1 3th,  1905. 

In  less  than  two  years  three,  whom  we  may  call 
Dillon  boys,  have  been  foully  murdered,  Wilfred  Ver 
milion,  James  McLaughlin  and  Wason  Oliver.'  None 


MORE  RECENT  TRAGEDIES  AT  DILLON  167 

of  the  cowardly  perpetrators  of  these  bloody  crimes 
have  so  far  been  brought  to  justice. 

Tribune,  Aug.  3d,  1906. 

MET  AN  AWFUL  DEATH 
Small  son  of  J.  C.  Harrison  Trampled  to  Death 
By  Bunch  of  Stampeded  Horses. 

A  terrible  accident  happened  to  Ralph  Edward 
Harrison  the  eight-year-old  son  of  J.  C.  Harrison  of 
the  Upper  Grasshopper  last  Tuesday  evening,  which 
resulted  in  the  boy's  death  yesterday  morning.  About 
7:30  o'clock  the  boy  went  out  to  a  corral  where  a 
number  of  work  horses  were  confined,  for  the  pur 
pose  of  turning  them  into  a  pasture  to  get  water  at 
a  near-by  creek.  Just  as  he  started  to  open  the  gate  the 
animals  became  frightened  from  some  cause  and  stam 
peded  to  the  gate.  In  the  rush  the  gate  was  knocked 
open  and  the  boy  thrown  to  the  ground  directly  in 
front  of  the  horses.  The  entire  bunch  ran  over  him 
trampling  him  in  a  terrible  manner.  Besides  being 
bruised  and  cut,  it  was  found  by  Dr.  Reyburn  who 
was  summoned  from  Bannask,  that  his  skull  was 
badly  crushed. 

The  boy  was  afterward  taken  by  his  par 
ents  to  a  Butte  Hospital  where  he  was  placed 
under  the  care  of  skilful  physicians,  but  in 
spite  of  all  they  could  do  he  succumbed  to  his 
injuries  and  died. 

The  parents  arrived  on  last  evening's  train  ac 
companied  by  the  remains  of  their  boy.  The  funeral 


1 68    TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

was  held  this  afternoon  at  the  Methodist  church.  A 
large  number  of  sorrowing  friends  attended  the  fu 
neral  and  accompanied  the  body  to  the  cemetery. 
Many  floral  offerings  were  heaped  upon  the  casket 
at  the  church  and  later  placed  upon  the  grave  at  the 
cemetery.  .  The  sorrowing  relatives  had  the  heartfelt 
sympathy  of  the  entire  community. 

The  father  of  Ralph  Harrison  is  an  own 
uncle  of  the  writer,  he  is  my  mother's  young 
est  brother.  He  was  brought  up  under  Chris 
tian  influences  and  attended  the  tent  meeting 
my  brother  Charles  and  myself  held  at  Dillon. 
He  sought  the  Lord  at  the  altar,  but  failed  to 
pay  the  price. 

Dillon  Examiner,  March  7th,  1906. 
GRIM  REAPER   CALLS  ANOTHER 

Clair  Baker,  a  Well  Known  Young  Man  of  This  City, 
Died  suddenly  in  California.  The  News  of  the 
Death  Came  as  a  Shock  to  His  Family  and 
Friends.  Funeral  Services  Held  Monday  After- 
nooii  at  the  Family  Home  in  this  City.  Con 
ducted  by  Rev.  A.  B.  Martin  of  the  Presbyter 
ian  Church. 

On  Thursday  afternoon,  March  ist,  the  electric 
wires  flashed  the  sad  message  that  Clair  Baker,  the 
eldest  son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  S.  Baker  had  passed 
away  suddenly  at  Los  Angeles,  Cal.  The  whole  com 
munity  was  greatly  shocked  by  this  wholly  unexpected 


MORE  RECENT  TRAGEDIES  AT  DILLON  169 

intelligence,  and  all  hearts  throbbed  in  sympathy  with 
the  grief -stricken  parents  to  whom  the  blow  came 
without  warning,  like  a  bolt  from  a  clear  sky: 

This  young  man  had  not  been  feeling  well, 
but  was  up  and  about,  and  did  not  deem  it 
necessary  to  have  attendance  during  the  night. 

He  apparently  dropped  to  sleep,  "and  probably  in 
the  early  hours  of  the  morning  when  the  vital  powers 
are  at  their  lowest  ebb,  his  heart  ceased  to  bea^  *  They 
found  him  lying*  in  a  serene  and  peaceful"  slumber  . 
Thursday,  with  no  evidence  ot  suffering  whatever. 
The  angel  of  death  had  come  to  him  unawares. 

Same  Issue. 

CHRISTIAN  DARNUTZER  DIED  AT  HIS 
HOUSE  NEAR  DILLON  SUNDAY 

AFTERNOON.      \  t' 

• 

He  is  the  third  old-timer  from  this  vicinity  to 

^  •  • 

cross  the  great  divide  in  less  than  thret' weeks.  Butte 
Miner. 

Dillon  Tribune,  May  25th,  1906. 

THOMAS  W.  POINDEXTER  PASSES  BEYOND 
An  Honored  Dillon  Citizen  and  Former  State  Jiudito'r 

Succumbed  to  Illness  Last  Tuesday. 

Funeral  took  place  yesterday  under  the  ausnices    *  ** 
of  the  Masonic  Lodge. 

Dillon  Tribune,  Aug.  loth,  1906.  « 

MISS  STELLA  MORSE  PASSES  AWAY 
A  Prominent  Dillon   Woman  Succumbs  to  Bright's 


MORE  RECENT  TRAGEDIES  AT  DILLON  171 

Disease — Death   Came    Wednesday  Afternoon — 
Deceased  was  one  of  Dillon's  Most  Highly  Re- 
.  «    spected  Ladies. 

Dillon  Tribune,  July  2Oth,  1906. 

CHARLES  DEPUTY  KILLED  BY  HORSE 
SUNDAY 

While  Enroute  to   Twin  Bridges  He  Mounted  His 
Unsaddled  Race  Horse  and  Was  Riding  it  Down 
the  Road  When  It  Fell,  Killing  Him, — Funeral 
Was  Held  in  Dillon  Tuesday. 
The  shocking  news  was  phoned  to  Dillon  last  Sun 
day  morning  from  Twin  Bridges  that  Charles  Deputy 
was  killed  near  there  Sunday  morning  by  a  horse  fall 
ing  with  him.     When  last  seen  by  his  companions  be 
fore  going  round  a  turn  in  the  road  he  was  going 
along  at  a  short  gallop.     He  was  found  lying  in  the 
road  just  breathing  his  last.     There  was  a  rock  in 
the  road  about  a  large  as  a  man's  fist  upon  which  the 
horse    had    stepped    and    tripped.      He    apparently 
fell  and  rolled  entirely  over  on  top  of  his  owner,  for 
the  horse  had  dirt  all  over  his  back.     The  horse's 
tracks  showed  he  was  going  in  a  short  canter  when 
he   fell.     Three   of   Mr.   Deputy's  ribs   were  broken 
and  his  skull  fractured.     He  never  spoke  a  word  or 
regained  consciousness  after  he  was  found.     The  re 
mains  were  brought  to  Dillon. 
Same  Issue. 

DEAD  MAN  WAS  PROBABLY  A  U.  S. 
SOLDIER 

The  Coroner's  inquest  over  the  remains  of  the 


1 72    TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

man  found  in  Beaverhead  River  last  Friday  by  Isaac 
Hall  and  B.  F.  Black,  was  held  at  the  Court  House 
last  Saturday  afternoon  at  i  :3O  o'clock.  The  Cor 
oner's  Jury  was  composed  of  James  G.  Erwin,  Wm. 
Phillips,  Jasper  Nelson,  F.  P.  Harrison,  and  Niel 
Sharkey.  After  hearing  all  the  evidence  concerning 
the  dead  man  they  returned  a  verdict  that  the  de 
ceased  came  to  his  death  through  unknown  causes. 

Dillon  Tribune,  Sept.  29th,  1906. 

IRVIN  RICH  KILLED  BY  THE  CARS 

LAST  NIGHT 

Was  Struck  by  a  Locomotive  while  Walking  on  the 
Track  in'the  Northern  Pacific  Yards  at  Livingston. 

Irvin  Rich  came  here  with  his  father  when  two 
years  of  age  and  has  spent  almost  his  entire  life  here. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  graduating  class  of  the 
Beaverhead  High  School,  and  then  went  to  Bozeman 
and  attended  the  Agricultural  College  for  several 
mpnths.  About  a  month  ago  he  left  Bozeman  for 
Livingston. 

He  was  a  steady,  moral  and  upright  young  man, 
who  made  friends  readily  and  was  well  liked  by  all 
who  knew  him.  Hi§  untimely  end  will  be  deeply 
regretted,  both  in  Dillon  and  different  parts  of  the 
state  where  he  was  known. 

WILLIAM  PAIMENT  MET  A  HORRIBLE 

DEATH 

Well  Respected  Horse  Prairie  Resident  Crushed  Un 
der  Wagon  While  Hauling  Load  of  Wood  from 
the  Mountain. 


MORE  RECENT  TRAGEDIES  AT  DILLON  173 

He  was  returning  with  a  load  of  wood.  The 
brake  on  the  wagon  broke  while  descending  a  hill  and 
the  team  ran  away.  He  was  thrown  beneath 
the  wagon  and  fell  under  the  wheels,  two  of  them 
passing  over  his  body  just  below  the  lungs,  fearfully 
crushing  him.  He  was  unable  to  rise  and  supposing 
that  he  would  have  to  spend  the  night  on  the  hillside 
before  being  found,  he  dragged  himself  to  the  shelter 
of  a  pine  tree  about  300  yards  distance. 

Mr.  Paiment  came  to  Beaverhead  County  about 
three  years  ago  and  took  charge  of  the  Grant  Hotel 
on  the  Redrock  and  Salmon  City  road.  He  made 
quite  a  number  of  acquaintances  in  Dillon  and  all 
who  knew  him  regret  exceedingly  his  untimely  end. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  add  to  names  on  the 
long  death  roll.  The  reader  has  had  enough 
to  convince  him  of  the  truth  of  the  assertion 
that  the  avenging  hand  of  the  Almighty  has 
been  stretched  out  over  this  little  town  and 
the  inhabitants  of  Beaverhead  County. 

The  following  in  part  was  taken  from  the 
Anaconda  Standard  in  1907. 

HAD  DILLON  A   HOODOO?    QUESTION   OF 
CONCERN 

Sudden  Deaths  of  Recent  Weeks  Discussed 

Developments  of  the  past  few  weeks  have  made 

the   superstitious   people   of    Beaverhead   County   sit 

up  and  think  a  little  bit,   for  there  have  been  five 

violent  deaths  of  residents  of  that  section  within  two 


174    TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

weeks,  and  it  must  be  remembered  that  Dillon  is  not 
a  very  big  town  to  have  this  record.  The  first  death 
was  when  a  range  rider  who  had  just  secured  a  good 
position  as  trapper  in  the  Big  Hole  National  Forest, 
had  hi?  horse  jump  from  under  him,  sustaining  a 
fracture  of  the  skull  from  which  he  died  a  few  days 
later. 

The  next  fatal  accident  was  when  a  member  of 
a  threshing  crew  visited  a  ranch  a  few  miles  from 
tci\vn,  got  his  foot  caught  in  a  buggy  wheel  and  was 
threshed  and  pounded  to  death. 

It  was  only  a  few  days  later  until  Frank  Brady, 
a  one-armed  bronco  breaker,  who  had  been  in  the 
Beaverhead  Valley  for  more  than  twenty  years,  was 
thrown  from  a  wagon  during  a  runaway  and  killed. 

Monday,  William  Stevenson  was  also  killed  by 
being  thrown  out  of  a  wagon  during  a  runaway,  and 
just  a  few  days  ago  one  of  the  most  beloved  matrons 
in  the  entire  Southern  part  of  Montana  destroyed  her 
self  in  an  inn  at  Los  Angeles. 

This  record  has  set  people  of  Southern  Montana 
thinking  about  their  persecution  of  the  holiness  sect, 
and  the  visitors  to  Butte  from  the  Beaverhead  metrop 
olis  during'  the  past  few  days  seem  much  concerned 
about  the  record  and  are  wondering  whose  turn  will 
be  next. 

In  this  article  an  account  is  given  of  the 
treatment  my  brother  received  at  the  hands  of 
the  Dillonites,  and  the  question  is  asked  if  this 


MORE  RECENT  TRAGEDIES  AT  DILLON  175 

is  not  the  cause  of  a  curse  being  placed  upon 
the  prosperous  town. 

Their  question  is,  "Did  the  members  of  this 
organization  because  of  the  ill  treatment  of 
their  leaders  pray  that  sudden  death,  woe  and 
pestilence,  would  be  the  fate  of  all  who  lived 
in  the  town  on  the  banks  of  the  Blacktail?" 

It  is  plain  to  be  seen  by  this  article  that  God 
Almighty  let  the  inhabitants  of  Dillon  know 
why  the  scourge  of  death  was  upon  them. 
When  people  are  punished  they  usually  know 
for  what  cause  it  has  been  permitted. 

To  show  that  the  work  of  destruction  was 
still  going  on  in  1908,  in  and  about  Dillon,  I 
take  the  following  from  the  Tribune  of  Jan. 
3d,  1908. 

A  SHOCKING  NEW  YEAR  TRAGEDY 
Fred  Baker  Shoots  Ed.  Lawrence  at  the  Hour  the 
Latter  was  to  have  Married  the  Former's  Daugh 
ter.     Father  Claims  Self  Defense  for  Act. 
"I  was  inside  my  house  and  protecting  my  home 
and    family.     I   believe   I    was   justified   in   shooting 
Lawrence."     Fred  Baker. 

"Nora  screamed  murder  and  Ed.  jerked  loose 
from  Mrs.  Baker  and  ran  to  the  door  to  save  Nora, 
thinking  Baker  was  killing  her."  Al.  Lawrence. 

One  of  the  most  sensational  shootings  that  ever 
took  place  in  Dillon,  occurred  at  the  home  of  Fred 


w*       •» 

176    TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

Baker,  on  Kentucky  Avenue,  Wednesday  afternoon, 
when  Baker  shot  T?.' A.  Lawrence,  a  young  man  from 
Butte,  who  wa^  just  on  the  eve  of  wedding  Nora,  the 
sixteen-year-old  daughter  of  Baker.  Lawrence  lin 
gered  until  8  o'clock  in  the  evening,  when  he  breathed 
his  last.  -Baker  'quietly  submitted  to  arrest  within 
fifteen  minutes  after  the  shooting  and  was  put  in  the 
counHy?jail  by  Sheriff  Gist. 

The  whr/i^  affair  was  most  sensational  and  sad. 
That  which  tshoujd  have  been  the  happiest,  jolliest 
and  most  joyous  event  in  Dillon  on  the  Glad  New 
Year,  was  suddenly  changed  to  one  of  grief  and 
mourning,  sprrow  and  regrets.  Instead  of  a  peaceful 
wedding  with  all  the  joys  which  such  an  event  usually 
witnesses,  there  is  a  disappointed  bride,  a  funeral 
and  a  father  behind  prison  bars. 

For  svSme  time  following  the  shooting  hysterical 
women  ran  up  and  down  the  street,  and  the  little 
sixteen  year '  old  bride-to-be,  screamed  and  rushed 
up  and  down'.'  trie  road,  dressed  in  a  beautiful  pure 
white  wedding  gown;  men  were  moved  to  tears  as 
they  gazed  upon  the  young  man  struggling  for  breath 
while  his  own  blood  choked  him,  a  gaping  wound  just 
over  the  eye,'  the  blood  flowed  down  his  face  and 
stained  his  white  vest,  collar  and  tie  crimson ;  it  spat 
tered  upon  a  folded  white  paper  that  protruded  from 
his  inside  coat  pocket  on  which  the  words  could  be 
read,  ^'Marriage  License.*'  The  young  man  who  met 
this  tragic  'death  was  Edgar  A.  Lawrence.  He  was 
born  in,  1  June  twenty-two  years  ago.  He  has  resided 
in  Dillon  and  vicinity  for  the  past  sixteen  years.  *  * 


MORE  RECENT  TRAGEDIES  AT  DILLON  177 

The  parlor  had  been  tidied  up  for  the  occasion; 
the  services  of  Justice  Rich  had  been  secured:  the 
bride  had  been  dressed  for  the  event;  the  groom  had 
donned  a  suit  of  black,  with  white  vest,  shirt,  and  tie, 
and  patent  leather  shoes.  The  father  was  dressing 
for  the  event  that  was  to  take  place  in  a  few  minutes, 
when  suddenly  the  storm  fell  in  all  its  fury  and  the 
clear  sky  of  approaching  happiness  was  changed  to  a 
dismal  scene  of  trouble  and  grief. 

The  Tribune  says  also  that  some  sensation 
al  stories  had  been  spread  concerning  what  had 
been  going  on  between  Miss  Baker  and  young 
Mr.  Lawrence,  that  there  had  been  trouble 
between  Baker  and  Lawrence,  and  that  the  al 
leged  misconduct  of  Lawrence  toward  Nora 
was  all  smoothed  over,  and  that  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Baker  had  given  their  consent  for  the  two 
young  people  to  marry. 

It  will  not  be  necessary  to  go  into  the  de 
tails  of  this  horrible  affair;  enough  has  been 
said  to  give  the  reader  a  fair  idea  of  what 
was  at  the  bottom  of  all  the  trouble.  The  ap 
pearance  at  the  wedding  of  one  of  Mr.  Law 
rence's  friends  who  had  beaten  Mr.  Baker 
a  few  days  before  in  connection  with  the  af 
fair,  was  the  immediate  cause  of  the  outbreak 
that  resulted  in  the  shooting.  It  seems  that 
Mr.  Lawrence,  against  the  protests  of  Mr. 

TRUTH — 12. 


MOUNTAIN     STREAM SNOW-CAPPED     PEAK     IN 

THE  DISTANCE 


MORE  RECENT  TRAGEDIES  AT  DILLON  179 

Baker  persisted  in  having  the  young  man  at 
tend  his  wedding,  who  had  grossly  insulted 
and  beaten  the  father  of  his  fiance. 

The  calamities  that  followed  the  persecu 
tion  of  our  people  at  Dillon  were  not  mani 
fested  alone  in  sudden  and  tragical  deaths.  If 
the  inmost  thoughts  of  hearts  could  be  read  it 
would  be  found  that  homes  are  draped  in 
mourning,  over  unspeakable  crimes  that  have 
been  committed,  where  the  jewels  of  a  spotless 
character  have  been  snatched  from  the  breasts 
of  young  women  who  have  become  the  victims 
of  the  demon  of  lust,  and  some  who  tried  to 
cover  their  shame  have  resorted  to  measures 
that  have  resulted  in  broken  down  health  or 
death.  Be  assured,  calamity  never  comes  single- 
handed.  The  various  forms  of  the  sins  of 
the  flesh  go  hand  in  hand  with  murder,  and 
Dillon,  for  her  population  has  certainly  had 
her  share  to  put  on  record.  This  little  Philistine 
town  in  the  Beaverhead  Valley  has  made  a 
record  that  will  be  remembered  by  the  living 
and  read  by  the  generations  to  come. 
In  the  next  issue,  Jan.  loth. 

WALT  HETRICK  INSTANTLY  KILLED 
Left  Cab  of  Engine  without  Letting  Engineer  Hughes 
Know  about  It. 


i8o     TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

.-/  Peculiar  Accident  at  Button.  Short  Line  Fire 
man,  Formerly  of  Dillon,  Met  Instant  Death  last 
Evening. 

The  south  bound  passenger  train  last  evening  was 
more  than  an  hour  late.  The  cause  of  delay  was  not 
ascertained^  until  the  train  rolled  in,  when  it  was 
learned  that  the  delay  was  occasioned  by  the  fireman, 
Walter  Hetrick's  being  killed  at  Buxton,  a  station  a 
few  miles  this  side  of  Silver  Bow  Junction.  *  *  * 
Ed.  Hughes  started  to  back  into  a  switch  to  couple  on. 
He  thought  that  his  fireman  was  in  the  cab,  when  it 
seems  that  Hetrick  had  climbed  from  the  cab  without 
saying  anything  to  Mr.  Hughes  and  was  engaged  in 
working  around  the  machinery  of  the  engine.  No  one 
knows  what  he  was  doing.  At  any  rate  his  head  was 
caught  somewhere  in  the  machinery,  supposedly  be 
tween  the  side  rod  and  running  board,  and  the  whole 
side  of  his  head  crushed.  Death  must  have  been  in 
stant.  The  deceased  resided  in  Dillon  most  of  last 
year.  *  *  He  was  employed  as  fireman  out  of  Dillon 
on  helper,  for  D.  D.  Kneeland.  The  last  few  months 
he  had  been  promoted  to  a  passenger  run  out  of  Butte. 
He  leaves  a  wife  and  four  children. 

Same  issue,  Jan.  loth,  1908. 

AN  UNKNOWN  KILLED 
Body  Found  at  Side  of  Railroad  Track  this  Morning. 

Met  Death  Mile  North  of  City. 

This  morning  when  Nels  Christensen  took  his 
bunch  of  Jap  section  men  up  the  track  toward  the 
river  he  discovered  a  dead  man  lying  at  the  side  of 


MORE  RECENT  TRAGEDIES  AT  DILLON  181 

the  track  about  100  yards  this  side  of  Beaverhead 
River.  He  returned  to  town  and  notified  Coroner 
Walker,  returned  to  the  spot  with  a  number  of  others 
and  brought  the  body  to  Dillon.  The  man  was  ap 
parently  killed  by  the  cars.  He  was  lying  on  the  end 
of  the  ties,  his  head  just  clear  of  the  ties.  A  great 
pool  of  blood  on  the  rail  showed  where  the  wheels 
had  crushed  his  head. 

When  his  clothes  were  searched  at  the  under 
taker's  establishment  not  a  scrap  of  paper  was  found 
to  identify  the  fellow.  On  the  little  finger  of  his  left 
hand  was  a  fancy  gold  ring  with  a  heart  on  it.  He 
wore  good  work  clothes,  good  lace  shoes  and  new- 
overshoes,  dark  brown  woolen  shirt,  lavender  tie,  dark 
salt  and  pepper  coat  and  good  underwear. 

In  this  same  issue,  Foote,  the  Tribune 
editor,  poured  out  his  wrath  against  the  official 
organ  of  our  Church.  He  got  the  name 
mixed,  however,  with  that  of  another  paper. 
He  said  that  a  conductor  on  the  O.  S.  L.  had 
one  of  these  papers  in  his  pocket  and  had  made 
the  statement  that  some  of  our  people  were 
planning  another  campaign  for  Dillon.  He 
closed  his  remarks  by  saying  that  to  be  fore 
warned  is  to  be  forearmed.  This  man  in  look 
ing  out  for  his  interests,  wants  to  keep  his 
foot(e)  in  a  bank  of  Dillon's  roses. 

However,  there  was  no  truth  in  the  state- 


1 82    TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

ment  that  any  of  our  people  were  planning 
another  campaign  for  Dillon. 

Same  issue. 

Tribune,  Jan.  loth,  1908. 

ANOTHER  FATAL  ACCIDENT  OCCURS 

Young  Man  Smothered  in  a  Sewer  Ditch  while  Mak 
ing  Connection. 

Roy  Oilman  Caught  by  Cave-in.  Life  Was  Extinct 
when  the  Accident  Was  Discovered  by  Henry 
Burfiend  Wednesday  Afternoon. 

A  sad  accident  occurred  Wednesday  afternoon, 
which  resulted  in  the  death  of  Roy  Oilman,  a  young 
man  seventeen  years  of  age,  who  was  employed  by 
the  Dart  Hardware  Company.  *  *  * 

About  3  o'clock  the  Dart  Hardware  Company 
sent  Roy  Oilman  up  to  Mr.  Burfiend's  to  connect  the 
residence  with  the  city  sewer.  The  young  man  went 
to  work  shortly  after  3  o'clock.  About  4:30  o'clock 
Mr.  Burfiend  stepped  out  to  the  buggy  shed  in  which 
the  young  man  had  been  working  to  see  how  he  was 
getting  along  with  the  work  and  to  his  amazement 
he  found  that  the  south  side  of  the  ditch  had  caved  in 
upon  the  young  man.  One  arm  and  one  leg  were 
protruding  from  the  dirt.  Being  unable  to  pull  the  boy 
out,  he  hastily  summoned  assistance  in  the  person  of 
Duke  Gilbert  and  the  two  dug  the  boy  out  as  quickly 
as  possible.  His  limbs  were  still  warm  and  his  body 
limber  when  they  got  him  to  the  top  of  the  ground. 
*  *  No  one  knows  how  long  the  body  had  been  cov- 


MORE  RECENT  TRAGEDIES  AT  DILLON  183 

ered,  but  the  condition  of  the  body  indicated  that  he 
had  met  with  the  accident  perhaps  three  quarters  of 
an  hour  before. 

Roy  Gilman  was  a  nephew  of  A.  L.  Stone,  cash 
ier  of  the  State  Bank  of  Dillon.  He  came  here  from 
Leavenworth,  Kansas  about  three  weeks  ago  and  ac 
cepted  a  position  with  the  Dart  Hardware  Company 
in  the  plumbing  department.  The  father,  J.  M.  Gil 
man,  and  mother,  who  is  Mr.  Stone's  sister,  reside  in 
Leavenworth,  Kansas.  , 

The  many  sudden  and  tragical  deaths  in 
and  about  Dillon  were  evidently  getting  the 
Tribune  Editor  into  close  quarters,  judging 
from  the  following  article,  printed  in  the  Jan. 
1 7th,  1 008  issue,  under  the  heading, 

HE  IS  NOT  GUILTY 

After  having  referred  to  the  burning  of 
the  Iroquois  Theater,  he  says, 

Now  comes  another  great  catastrophe,  175  lives 
are  snuffed  out  in  a  theater  building  in  a  Pennsylva 
nia  town,  while  a  church  performance  was  being  given 
for  a  Lutheran  Church.  A  gas  tank  exploded,  the 
house  took  fire,  and  whole  families  were  wiped  out  of 
existence. 

Now  what  the  believers  in  the  works  of  Provi 
dence  will  have  to  say  remains  to  be  seen.  As  for 
us,  the  theory  of  providential  interference  in  human 
affairs  on  this  terrestial  globe  appears  to  be  a  delusion 


184    TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

and  a  fake.  Catastrophes  occur  and  wipe  out  happy 
and  contented  lives  in  buildings  where  performances 
for  the  uplifting  and  betterment  of  mankind  are  going 
on,  as  well  as  in  places  of  so-called  worldly  amuse 
ment  ;  the  lightning  splits  asunder  the  lofty  church 
steeple  when  a  flag  pole  is  convenient.  The  floods 
destroy  the  crops  and  homes  of  the  righteous;  afflic 
tion  smites  the  preacher  in  the  midst  of  a  church  re 
vival,  and  in  the  end  death  claims  us  all. 

The  fact  of  it  is  that  the  only  lesson  to  be  drawn 
from  these  deplorable  catastrophes  (Mr.  Foote  no 
doubt  had  in  mind  those  that  were  happening  in  and 
about  Dillon)  is  from  criminal  negligence  on  the  part 
of  common  every-day  men  in  handling  dangerous  gas 
tanks  or  wiring  a  building  for  electric  light,  and  so 
forth  (he  may  as  well  have  said,  and  handling  dan 
gerous  horses),  and  we  believe  that  the  Almighty  is 
entirely  innocent  in  having  any  hand  in  such  affairs, 
and  the  apparent  case  made  out  against  Him  by  fanat 
ical  believers  should  be  non-suited." 

This  editor  is  no  doubt  trying  to  justify 
himself  in  the  part  he  took  in  the  persecution 
of  God's  people  at  Dillon,  inasmuch  as  he  has 
had  to  record  the  long  list  of  tragical  and  un 
timely  deaths.  I  imagine  that  the  swift  judg 
ments  of  the  Almighty  are  getting  close  to  his 
nerve  and  he  wonders  where  the  lightning 
bolts  are  going  to  strike  next. 

His  ideas  of  a  soul-saving  institution  are 


MORE  RECENT  TRAGEDIES  AT  DILLON  185 

brought  out  in  his  endorsement  of  certain 
Church  performances.  He  apparently  has  no 
conception  of  the  true  standard  of  Christianity. 

There  is  no  greater  evidence  of  the  apos 
tate  condition  of  the  old  denominations  than 
their  Church  entertainments,  which  often  con 
sist  of  rummage  sales,  donkey  shows,  ice-cream 
socials,  teas,  and  other  performances  where 
almost  any  extremes  are  resorted  to  in  order  to 
get  money,  and  this  is  done  while  their  mem 
bers  are  hoarding  up  wealth. 

He  speaks  of  lightning  striking  the  high 
church  steeple  instead  of  the  flag  pole.  If 
New  Testament  principles  and  simplicity  were 
carried  out  there  would  never  be  a  high  church 
steeple.  It  is  an  unnecessary  addition  to  the 
house  of  God,  and  points  to  worldliness  and 
pride  in  the  hearts  of  the  worshipers.  From 
a  Scriptural  point  of  view  it  would  be  like  the 
Almighty  to  pass  by  the  flag  pole  and  strike 
the  church  steeple. 

A  false  professor  endorses  all  kinds  of 
hypocrisy  and  departures  from  New  Testament 
principles. 

The  editor's  chief  stock  in  trade  seems  to 
be  a  whitewash  brush — he  seems  to  be  engaged 
in  the  whitewash  business. 


186    TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

The  following  account  of  a  Dillon  pastor, 
Rev.  A.  B.  Martin,  was  taken  from  the  Dillon 
Tribune,  Jan.  I4th,  1910,  four  years  after  the 
main  body  of  this  book  was  written. 

DR.  A.  B.  MARTIN  STRICKEN  BY  DEATH 

Suddenly  Succumbs  a  few  Minutes  after  Officiating 

at  a  Wedding 

A  pall  of  sadness  was  thrown  over  the  entire  city 
last  Sunday  evening  by  the  shocking  news  being  tele 
phoned  and  being  passed  to  nearly  every  house  in  the 
city,  of  the  sudden  death  of  Dr.  A.  B.  Martin,  pastor 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Dr.  Martin  accompan 
ied  by  his  wife  went  to  the  Metlen  Hotel,  where  he 
was  to  officiate  at  the  wedding  of  Mr.  A.  Tash,  and 
Miss  Anna  Lennerman,  two  well  known  and  popular 
people  of  this  city. 

OFFICIATED  AT  THE  WEDDING 
The  wedding  took  place  in  the  Metlen  parlors 
about  6  o'clock,  Dr.  Martin  performing  the  ceremony. 
Immediately  following  the  wedding  and  congratula 
tions  of  the  few  friends  and  relatives  of  the  contract 
ing  parties  present,  all  repaired  to  the  dining  room 
where  a  sumptuous  weddirg  dinner  was  served. 
Shortly  after  7  o'clock,  Dr.  Martin  excused  himself 
and  wife,  stating  that  they  must  hasten  to  the  Pres 
byterian  church  where  he  would  deliver  his  usual 
evening  sermon.  They  left  the  dining  tables  and 
passed  into  the  front  parlor  of  the  hotel,  Dr.  Martin 
pleasantly  greeting  various  friends  as  he  passed  from 


MORE  RECENT  TRAGEDIES  AT  DILLON  187 

the  dining  room  and  hallway.  He  appeared  in  the 
jolliest  of  spirits  and  was  as  happy  as  any  one  present. 
Entering  the  parlor  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Martin  seated 
themselves  a  few  moments  and  engaged  in  a  pleasant 
conversation  with  Archie  Main,  manager  of  the  hotel. 
The  Doctor  reminding  Mr.  Main  and  a  number  of 
other  young  gentlemen  about  the  hotel  that  they 
should  be  thinking  upon  engaging  his  services  for 
occasions  similar  to  that  of  the  evening. 

DEATH  COMES  SUDDENLY 
The  church^ bell  rang  at  7:30  o'clock,  and  Dr. 
Martin  reached  for  his  rubbers  to  put  them  on,  before 
walking  to  the  church,  a  distance  of  about  four  city 
blocks  from  the  hotel.  He  put  one  of  the  rubbers 
on  and  reached  for  the  other  one.  Just  at  that  moment 
he  suddenly  straightened  up,  with  a  look  of  pain  on 
his  face,  gasped  and  sank  backward  upon  the  sofa 
upon  which  he  was  sitting. 

NO  PARTING  WORD 

Both  Mrs.  Martin  and  Mr.  Main  were  looking  at 
him  at  the  time  and  they  thought  he  had  fainted,  the 
room  being  very  warm.  Mr.  Main  ran  for  some  water 
and  the  screams  of  Mrs.  Martin  instantly  brought  a 
number  of  persons  from  the  hotel  office  into  the  parlor. 
Those  gathered  around  the  prostrate  man  instantly 
saw  that  he  was  dead.  However,  several  physicians 
were  hastily  summoned  and  they  worked  faithfully 
over  him  for  some  time  to  no  purpose.  He  had  died 
instantly  without  tittering  a  word.  *  *  * 

A  messenger  was  sent  to  the  church  and  the  sad 


MORE  RECENT  TRAGEDIES  AT  DILLON  189 

news  of  their  beloved  pastor's  death  announced.  The 
people  immediately  left  the  church,  tears  streaming 
down  the  faces  of  many. 

Messengers  were  sent  to  other  churches  in  Dillon 
where  services  were  in  progress  and  the  news  an 
nounced  from  the  pulpits  and  the  services  dismissed. 
At  every  church  and  in  every  home  where  the  sad 
news  was  received,  those  hearing  it  were  bowed  down 
with  grief,  for  Dr.  Martin  was  one  of  the  most  loved 
ministers  of  the  city. 

MASONS  TAKE  CHARGE 
Members  of  the  Masonic  bodies  of  Dillon  removed 
the  body  to  the  Presbyterian  Manse,  where  it  was  pre 
pared  for  burial. 

At  the  time  our  people  were  suffering  per 
secution  at  Dillon  we  were  completing  our  new 
Bible  School  and  Church  building  at  Denver. 
Here  and  at  other  places  we  met  with 
occasional  outbreaks  on  the  part  of  the 
enemies  of  the  Cross,  but  no  extremes 
were  resorted  to  compared  with  those  of  the 
people  of  Dillon.  As  true  Christians,  we  ex 
pect  that  wherever  the  full  Gospel  is  preached 
and  sin  is  uncovered  there  will  be  antagonism. 
The  very  fact  that  we  have  these  things  to 
meet  proves  the  validity  of  our  credentials. 
At  the  same  time  the  bitter  antagonism  of 
some  of  the  Dillonites  revealed  the  falsity  of 


I  £0 

their  religion  and  the  depravity  of  human  char 
acter.  . 

For  any  one  to  cry,  "Peace,  peace," 
when  there  is  no  peace,  would  be  to  bear 
the  stamp  of  the  fallen  Church,  and 
likewise  suffer  the  penalty  of  her  crimes 
in  the  day  of  God's  visitation.  The 
way  of  the  Cross  is  that  of  loneliness  and  sep 
aration.  To  be  completely  surrendered  to  God 
is  to  forsake  the  world  with  all  its  vanity  and 
pride,  and  to  do  this  means  to  sever  relation 
ships  when  they  block  up  our  way  and  hinder 
our  progress  in  the  Christian  life. 

Cain  and  Abel  were  brothers,  but  the  day 
came  when  there  was  no  harmony  between 
them,  from  the  fact  that  Cain  failed  to  pay  the 
price  to  secure  the  approval  of  God  upon  his 
life.  Abel  brought  an  offering  that  was  ac 
cepted  of  the  Lord.  This  aroused  the  jealousy 
of  his  elder  brother,  and  murder  was  the  result. 
i  John  3:15  says,  "Whosoever  hateth  his 
brother  is  a  murderer:  and  ye  know  that  no 
murderer  hath  eternal  life  abiding  in  him." 
Cain  had  hatred  in  his  heart,  and  because  Abel 
had  found  favor  with  God  he  slew  him.  Peo 
ple  may  have  hatred  in  their  hearts  and  yet  be 
far  from  committing  crimes,  but  there  was 


MORE  RECENT  TRAGEDIES  AT  DILLON.  191 

but  little  restraint  upon  the  Dillonites.  There 
had  been  too  much  red-handed  crime  in 
and  about  the  place  for  them  to  be  intimidated, 
and  it  mattered  but  little  who  the  victims  were. 
A  separation  had  to  conle  in  the  home  of 
Abraham.  Ishmael  no  doubt  would  have 
killed  Isaac,  if  he  and  his  Egyptian  mother 
had  not  been  sent  away.  There  was  division 
between  Esau  and  Jacob.  Esau  was  a  man  of 
the  chase.  His  pursuit  symbolizes  the  works 
of  the  flesh.  He  made  savory  dishes  for  his 
father  from  the  venison  that  he  killed,  while 
Jacob  helped  his  mother  at  home.  But  the  day 
came  when  there  had  to  be  a  separation.  Jacob 
obtained  the  birthright  and  had  to  flee  for  his 
life.  The  birthright  symbolizes  spiritual  in 
heritance,  and  those  who  have  it  are  always 
pursued  by  the  elder  brother,  or  those  possessed 
of  the  carnal  nature.  When  a  person  ob 
tains  salvation  there  is  always  a  part 
ing  of  the  road.  Those  who  fail  to 
pay  the  price  will  often  rise  up  in  the 
bitterness  of  their  hearts  and  seek  to  destroy 
his  influence  or  even  attempt  to  take  his  life. 
All  the  old  beast  wants  is  plenty  of  chain  and 
if  there  were  no  restraining  powers,  he  would 
go  to  his  limit. 


\()2  .  TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

There  was  plenty  of  chain  given  him  at 
Dillon,  and  there  was  no  justice  to  be  had  in 
the  courts.  Mob  violence  hindered  the  course 
of  law,  and  property  was  confiscated  and  held 
from  its  rightful  owners  as  it  was  in  the  days 
of  the  Inquisition.  The.  records  in  the  county 
seat  of  Beaverhead  County  will  show  one  of 
the  most  devilish  schemes  that  was  ever  con 
ceived  in  the  minds  of  so-called  civilized  men 
to  defeat  justice.  It  stands  out  as  a  black  deed 
on  the  records  of  those  who  endorsed  such  a 
course.  The  records  will  some  day  be  judged 
and  the  guilty  will  quake  under  the  zig 
zag  lightning  of  God's  wrath.  Be  as 
sured  not  a  person  will  make  his  escape 
unless  there  is  a  mighty  turning  to  God  and 
whole-hearted  repentance,  and  there  is  not 
much  probability  that  this  will  ever  take  place. 
Men  will  go  on,  hard-hearted  and  rebellious, 
to  face  the  great  tribunal.  There  will  be  no 
interference  with  justice  there.  They  will 
have  to  suffer  the  penalty  of  their  sins. 

Rev.  16:6-11  says,  "For  they  have  shed  the 
blood  of  saints  and  prophets,  and  thou  hast 
given  them  blood  to  drink;  for  they  are  wor 
thy.  *  *  And  men  were  scorched  with  great 
heat,  and  blasphemed  the  name  of  God,  which 


MORE  RECENT  TRAGEDIES  AT  DILLON  193 

hath  power  over  these  plagues :  and  they  re 
pented  not  to  give  him  glory.  And  the  fifth 
angel  poured  out  his  vial  upon  the  seat  of  the 
beast;  and  his  kingdom  was  full  of  darkness; 
and  they  gnawed  their  tongues  for  pain,  And 
blasphemed  the  God  of  heaven  because  of  their 
pains  and  their  sores,  and  repented  not  of  their 
deeds." 

There  are  some  persons  who  will  never  re 
pent,  their  damnation  is  already  sealed.  The 
demonstration  of  God's  wrath  has  no  effect 
upon  them.  They  will  stand  unmoved  in  the 
bitterness  and  hardness  of  their  hearts  until 
the  yawning  gulf  opens  its  mouth  to  receive 
them.  They  would  rather  die  than  to  humble 
themselves  and  ask  God  and  those  whom  they 
have  wronged  to  forgive  them. 

Through  years  of  hardening,  Satan  tight 
ens  his  grip  and  holds  them  as  the  trophies  of 
his  achievements  in  his  warfare  against  Christ 
and  His  kingdom. 

One  may  trifle  with  his  opportunities  for 
a  time  and  may  not  realize  that  a  crisis  is 
near,  but  it  comes  sooner  or  later,  and  he  is 
either  snatched  as  a  brand  from  the  burning, 
or  left  to  suffer  the  wrath  of  God  with  those 

TRUTH— 13. 


194    TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

who  have  said,  "We  will  not  have  this  man 
to  reign  over  us." 

The  fair  hand  of  promise  reached  out  to 
Dillon  and  its  inhabitants,  but  they  knew  not 
the  day  of  mercy  and  their  city  has  been  the 
storm-center  of  God's  wrath  ever  since. 

The  old  Jewish  hierarchy,  became  so  cor 
rupt  that  Jesus  compared  it  to  a  black  mulberry 
tree,  and  said  to  His  disciples,  "If  ye  had  faith 
as  a  grain  of  mustard  seed,  ye  might  say  unto 
this  sycamine  (black  mulberry)  tree,  Be  thou 
plucked  up  by  the  root,  and  be  thou  planted  in 
the  sea;  and  it  should  obey  you"  (Luke  17:6). 
The  Jews  had  persecuted  and  killed  God's 
prophets,  and  were  waiting  then  for  an  oppor 
tunity  to  put  to  death  His  only  begotten  Son, 
whom  He  had  sent  to  redeem  them  from  de 
struction.  There  was  nothing  left  to  do  but 
to  root  up  the  old  tree,  and  it  took  the  faith  of 
the  true  Apostolic  Church  to  do  it. 

Forty  years  later,  the  destruction  of  Jeru 
salem  took  place  and  the  Jews  were  scat 
tered  to  the  ends  of  the  earth.  Their  once 
proud  nation  disappeared  and  they  dropped 
down  in  the  great  Gentile  sea  to  be  lashed  with 
the  waves  of  persecution  for  more  than  two 
thousand  years.  God  has  not  forsaken  them 


MORE  RECENT  TRAGEDIES  AT  DILLON  195 

entirely,  but  He  has  never  removed  the  rod  of 
correction.  They  have  been  followed  by  fam 
ine,  pestilence  and  death.  There  have 
been  times  when  it  seemed  there  would  be 
no  one  left  to  perpetuate  the  race.  But  true 
to  God's  word  a  remnant  has  survived  all  these 
things  and  still  the  veil  is  over  their  faces. 
How  they  have  suffered  and  bemoaned  their 
estate  as  they  have  been  hounded  and  driven 
under  the  beastly  powers  of  the  half-civilized 
and  barbarous  nations,  ever  seeking  rest  and 
finding  none! 

As  the  destroying  angel  followed  them 
from  place  to  place,  many  of  them  gave  up 
in  despair  and  chose  death  rather  than  life.  It 
is  certainly  a  fearful  thing  to  fall  into  the 
hands  of  the  living  God,  but  how  few  realize 
what  it  means  to  place  themselves  in  a  posi 
tion  to  receive  His  curses  rather  than  His 
blessings. 


CHAPTER  IX 

TWENTY-THREE    STUDENTS   AND    PREACHERS 

IMPRISONED — DEATH  OF  JOHN  ASKEW, 

THE  OFFICER  WHO  ARRESTED  THEM 

During  the  fall  and  winter  of  1903-04 
some  of  the  policemen  of  Denver  showed  hos 
tility  to  our  work  in  the  street  marches  and 
open-air  services.  Among  them  was  John  As 
kew,  who  patrolled  Sixteenth  street,  be 
tween  Curtis  and  Larimer.  On  a  Sunday 
evening  our  workers  and  students  formed  a 
procession  at  Eighteenth  and  Larimer  streets, 
marched  to  Sixteenth,  and  x  up  Sixteenth  to 
Curtis  street,  where  they  were  commanded  by 
Mr.  Askew  to  halt.  There  were  perhaps  3, 
ooo  people  following  on  the  sidewalks,  but 
there  was  no  blocking  of  traffic  until  he  stopped 
the  procession,  and  soon  several  thousands  of 
people  were  massed  about  the  Tabor  Grand 
Opera  House. 

Our  people  were  carrying  banners  with 
different  scripture  texts.  On  one  was 
printed,  "Prepare  to  meet  thy  G  o  d." 
The  officer  deliberately  took  his  'club  and 
smashed  this  banner.  He  ordered  the  other 
banners  to  be  taken  down,  and  struck  two  of 


DEATH  OF  JOHN  ASKEW  197 

our  workers  and  thrust  them  into  the  police 
box,  and  called  for  the  patrol  wagon. 

I  was  not  in  the  march  and  had  taken  no 
part  in  the  open-air  service,  but  was  standing 
on  the  sidewalk,  and  in  a  position  to  see  all 
that  took  place.  Mr.  Askew  was  furiously 
angry  and  immediately  summoned  other  offi 
cers  and  hurried  off  about  two  dozen  of  the 
workers  to  the  City  Hall,  while  a  number  of 
other  policemen  were  left  to  disperse  the 
crowd. 

I  went  to  the  City  Hall  and  asked  the 
Captain  why  our  people  had  been  arrested  and 
imprisoned.  He  was  very  courteous  and  said 
he  thought  they  would  be  out  as  soon  as  the 
crowd  dispersed,  and  asked  me  to  see  that  they 
went  home  through  the  side  streets  rather  than 
the  main  thoroughfares. 

Two  hours  later  the  prisoners  were  dis 
charged.  The  next  morning  some  of  the  offi 
cials,  finding  they  had  been  let  go,  were  very 
indignant  and  got  out  a  warrant  to  re-arrest 
them.  They  were  taken  back,  placed  under 
bonds  and  released  on  my  promise  that  they 
would  return  in  ten  days  for  trial.  When  the 
time  came  for  the  hearing  they  had  the  privi 
lege  of  choosing  between  paying  $25  each  or 


- 

C/3 

D 
O 
- 


O 

O 
X 

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5 
^ 

O 

- 
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DEATH  OF  JOHN  ASKEW  199 

going  to  jail  for  two  weeks.  It  would  have 
cost  $600  to  have  paid  the  sum  required,  and  of 
course  they  went  to  jail. 

The  quarters  to  which  the  women  were 
assigned  were  clean  and  neat,  but  the  men 
were  thrown  in  among  the  worst  of  crimi 
nals,  in  almost  the  vilest  place  imaginable. 
Some  of  them  suffered  greatly  before  morning. 
The  few  that  were  left  out  to  push  the  work 
on  the  new  building  were  so  burdened  over  the 
affair  they  could  scarcely  do  anything  but 
pray.  After  twenty-four  hours  had  passed  I 
determined  to  see  the  Mayor  at  any  cost.  I 
found  him  at  the  Metropole  Hotel  early  in  the 
morning  and  laid  the  case  before  him.  Later, 
he  conferred  with  the  Fire  and  Police  Board, 
and  our  whole  company  was  immediately  re 
leased. 

The  strain  of  the  day  and  the  two  nights 
that  they  were  in  prison  was  almost  greater 
than  words  can  express,  not  only  because  I 
knew  some  of  them  were  suffering  greatly 
from  their  unpleasant  surroundings,  but  be 
cause  their  services  were  needed  so  badly  in 
getting  our  building  enclosed  before  wintry 
weather  set  in. 

There  was  a  time  of  rejoicing  when  all 


2oo    TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

came  back  from  prison  and  work  on  the  build 
ing  was  resumed. 

As  I  thought  and  prayed  over  the  affair, 
I  felt  that  some  one  was  going  to  suffer  and 
scarcely  was  the  trial  over,  until  Askew  was 
smitten  by  the  hand  Of  God,  and  in  five 
weeks  from  the  day  he  stopped  the  procession 
on  Sixteenth  street,  on  a  Sunday  evening,  at 
the  very  hour  that  he  made  the  arrest,  he  was 
dying.  The  following  was  taken  from  the 
Denver  Post: — 

PATROLLING  LAST  BEAT 
Death  has  laid  its  clammy  hand  very  suddenly  on 
Askew,  one  of  the  largest  and  strongest  of  Denver's 
policemen,  and  accounted  the  handsomest  man  in  the 
Department.  Walking  his  beat  a  week  ago,  he  is  now 
so  low  that  the  attending  physicians  do  not  expect  him 
to  live.  His  death  is  hourly  expected. 

The  young  policeman  will  be  remembered  by  al 
most  every  resident  of  Denver.  He  had  the  Sixteenth 
street  beat  between  Larimer  and  Curtis,  and  his  gi 
gantic  figure  was  always  noticeable.  More  than  six 
feet  tall,  weighing  225  pounds,  with  broad  square 
shoulders  and  a  handsome  strong  face,  he  was  univer 
sally  admired. 

For  several  weeks  Askew  has  been  ailing,  but 
kept  at  his  work  uncomplainingly.  He  knew  death 
was  approaching.  *  *  *  He  kept  on  at  his  work, 
though  he  lost  forty-three  pounds  in  the  last  few 


DEATH  OF  JOHN  ASKEW  201 

/ 

weeks  and  it  was  not  until  a  week  ago  that  he  had  to 
stop  work.  Sick  as  he  was,  Askew  was  still  patrolling 
his  beat  when  Chief  Armstrong  happened  along. 
Learning  that  the  man  was  sick  the  Chief  ordered 
him  to  go  home  at  once,  or  he  would  probably  have 
worked  until  he  fell. 

It  was  not  generally  known,  even  among  his  fellow 
officers  that  Askew  was  ill  until  yesterday.  'Chief 
Armstrong,  Captain  Delaney  and  President  Frank 
Adams  of  the  Fire  and  Police  Board,  called  at  Askew's 
home,  1237  Welton  street,  yesterday  afternoon,  but 
he  was  already  unconscious,  and  could  not  be  aroused. 
The  physicians  said  that  this  was  the  coma  preceding 
death. 

It  is  only  three  years  since  Askew  was  appointed 
on  the  Denver  Police  Force,  but  after  a  short  ex 
perience  he  was  found  able  and  courageous,  and  was 
given  the  Sixteenth  street  beat,  the  most  prominent 
in  the  city. 

The  following  is  a  statement  in  the  same 
issue  of  The  Post. 

Mrs.  White  said,  That  policeman  acted  like  a 
madman,  he  broke  through  our  circle  and  knocked 
down  our  banner,  which  bore  the  inscription,  "Prepare 
to  Meet  Thy  God."  That  was  five  weeks  ago,  now 
Mr.  Askew  is  in  eternity.  I  knew  that  God  would 
avenge  His  people.  From  the  day  he  made  the  arrest 
he  walked  his  beat  practically  a  dead  man.  God  is 
with  us,  and  if  they  keep  on  more  of  them  will  become 
the  victims  of  His  wrath. 


2O2    TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

Mrs.  White  had  reference  to  a  Sunday  a  feu- 
weeks  ago  when  Mr.  Askew  requested  the  Pillar  of 
Fire  people  to  cease  their  religious  demonstrations  on 
Sixteenth  street.  Askew  jumping  in  among  them 
struck  some  of  the  enthusiasts  with  his  club  and  sent 
them  all  to  jail  in  the  patrol  wagon. 

PILLAR  OF  FIRE  IN  CONVENTION 
The  Pentecostal  Union  (Pillar  of  Fire)  is  holding 
a  convention  to  celebrate  the  opening  of  their  new 
building  at  1845  Champa  street.  Mrs.  White  believes 
in  nothing  more  or  less  than  the  old  Methodist  faith. 
We  are  just  beHevers,  she  said,  in  old-fashioned 
Methodism.  We  have  more  demonstration  than  they 
had  perhaps,  but  that  is  because  we  believe  they  did 
not  have  enough. 

When  the  newsboys  of  Denver  heard  that 
I  said  that  God's  hand  had  been  laid 
upon  Mr.  Askew  in  judgment,  they  gath 
ered  a  hundred  strong  before  the  door  of  our 
auditorium  and  began  hurling  stones  through 
the  windows.  They  claimed  that  Mr.  Askew 
had  been  their  friend  and  they  would  be  re 
venged.  \Ylien  they  were  doing  their  worst 
there  was  not  an  officer  that  would  interfere 
with  them.  A  number  of  our  workers  went 
out  among  the  boys  and  tried  to  quiet  them 
down  and  persuade  them  to  cease  from  vio 
lence.  A  few  of  them  were  reasonable,  but 


~ 

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C/3 

O 


2O4    TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  .FICTION 

the  most  of  them  were  like  hardened  criminals. 
After  the  boys  had  made  assaults  on  the  build 
ing  for  three  different  evenings,  screens  were 
put  over  the  windows.  When  they  came  the 
next  time  they  found  no  further  opportunity 
for  their  favorite  pastime  and  quietly  walked 
away.  Shortly  afterwards  one  of  the  ring 
leaders  died. 

Large  crowds  filled  our  auditorium, 
and  often  many  were  turned  away  for 
want  of  seats.  As  messages  were  given 
from  time  to  time  under  the  inspiration 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  some  softened  and  yielded, 
while  others  hardened,  and  it  often  became 
necessary  to  invite  those  who  had  habitually 
resisted  the  truth  to  leave  the  place  and  make 
room  for  others.  I  have  invited  hundreds 
to  go  at  various  times,  under  these  conditions, 
and  found  every  time  when  there  was  such  an 
occurrence  it  worked  out  for  good. 

To  have  people  like  mere  pew  holders  occu 
pying  space  after  they  have  let  their  opportu 
nities  for  getting  saved  pass,  is  to  block  up  the 
way  of  others,  and  I  have  resolved  many  times 
not  to  preach  to  such  persons.  There  are  al 
ways  those  who  like  to  hear  the  music  and  see 
the  demonstrations,  who  are  unwilling  to  pay 


DEATH  OF  JOHN  ASKEW  205 

the  price  after  conditions  are  set  before  them. 
Such  persons  are  unworthy,  and  it  is  humil 
iating  to  one  who  knows  they  are  spurning  the 
word  of  God  to  look  into  their  faces  and  recog 
nize  them  as  having  any  part  in  a  service,  if  no 
more  than  to  occupy  a  seat.  When  God  ceases 
to  strive  with  people  we  might  as  well  let 
them  alone.  Life  is  too  short  to  waste  time 
with  such  persons.  They  are  on  the  broad 
road  and  have  plenty  to  keep  them  company 
without  taking  our  time. 

As  God's  power  continued  to  be  manifested 
from  day  to  day,  many  remarkable  things 
took  place.  Often  when  souls  were  praying 
at  the  altar,  persons  would  be  present  who 
came  to  criticize  and  find  fault  with  our  meth 
ods. 

An  old  man  living  across  the  street,  one  of 
the  leaders  of  the  Holiness  Association,  and 
who  professed  to  be  enjoying  the  higher  Chris 
tian  life,  attended  one  of  our  meetings,  There 
were  a  number  of  persons  at  the  altar  crying 
to  God  for  mercy.  As  our  workers  gathered 
around  to  pray  for  them,  there  was  real  travail 
of  soul,  and  many  who  were  present,  who  had 
never  made  a  profession,  were  under  deep  con 
viction.  In  the  midst  of  such  a  scene  the  old 


206    TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

man  called  it  fanaticism  and  made  other  cruel 
and  heartless  remarks.  He  was  warned  by  a 
person,  who  felt  that  he  was  on  the  verge  of 
sinning  against  the  Holy  Ghost.  But  he  re 
fused  to  take  the  rebuke  and  continued  to 
make  remarks. 

Two  weeks  later  this  man  fell  off  a  street 
car,  and  was  picked  up  in  a  dying  condition. 
lie  lived  but  a  few  minutes.  Father  Alcott, 
as  he  was  called,  was  one  of  the  persons  who 
bitterly  opposed  our  work.  His  name 
is  recorded  in  the  long  list  of  those  who 
suffered  death  or  even  worse  than  death  be 
cause  of  the  part  they  took  in  the  fight  against 
the  preaching  of  the  full  Gospel.  It  was  a 
sad  ending  for  a  man  who  had  professed  holi 
ness  and  preached  it  for  many  years. 

Some  of  our  people  attended  a  meeting 
in  the  hall  where  he  sometimes  presided  at  the 
services.  On  one  occasion  when  some  of  them 
.shouted  and  demonstrated  their  joy,  he  turned 
nut  all  the  lights. 


CHAPTER  X 
GOD'S  JUDGMENTS  ON  THE  SCOTT  FAMILY 

Price  Scott,  my  husband's  brother-in-law, 
was  burned  out  of  his  business  at  Beverly, 
West  Virginia,  in  1903,  and  came  with  his 
wife  and  five  children  to  Denver.  For  sev 
eral  weeks  his  family  were  inmates  of  our 
Training  School.  There  had  been  many 
prayers  offered  up  for  them  and  it  was 
clearly  understood  that  God  had  brought  them 
to  Denver.  They  arrived  about  the  time  the 
walls  of  our  new  building  were  going  up  and 
when  we  were  badly  in  need  of  help.  Mr. 
Scott  was  a  good  workman  and  might  have 
assisted,  but  showed  no  inclination  to  do  so. 
His  excuse  was  that  he  had  to  provide  for  his 
family,  and  the  fact  is  they  were  already  being 
provided  for  among  us.  We  assured  him  that 
his  family  would  never  suffer  so  long  as  God 
was  so  bountifully  supplying  our  needs,  and 
that  they  were  perfectly  welcome  to  share  with 
us. 

He  saw  the  Lord  working  miracles  every 
day  in  supplying  food  for  the  tables,  and  the 


2o8    TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

money  that  was  needed  in  the  construction  of 
the  building.  He  frankly  acknowledged  that 
he  had  never  seen  anything  like  it  before.  But 
with  all  the  light  and  persuasion  that  was 
brought  to  bear  upon  him,  he  refused  to  take 
any  part  in  the  work,  manifesting  an  independ 
ent  spirit,  and  showing  an  unwillingness  to 
have  the  needs  of  himself  and  family  provided 
for  through  any  process  that  he  had  not  de 
vised. 

His  favorite  passage  of  scripture  was  I 
Timothy  5:8,  "But  if  any  provide  not  for  his 
own,  and  specially  those  of  his  own  house,  he 
hath  denied' the  faith,  and  is  worse  than  an  in 
fidel."  He  perverted  this  scripture  and  re 
fused  to  be  corrected. 

He  acknowledged  that  several  years  before 
he  had  been  called  to  preach  the  Gospel,  but  re 
fused  to  obey,  having  made  the  excuse  that  he 
had  a  family  to  support,  and  did  not  wish 
to  impose  upon  people.  We  tried  to  convince 
him  that  the  first  step  to  make  was  to  pick  up 
his  tools  and  go  to  work  on  the  building.  But 
he  persisted  in  having  his  own  way,  and  day 
after  day  tramped  the  streets,  looking  for 
work.  He  spent  weeks  at  this  with  little  or 
no  success. 


JUDGMENTS  ON  THE  SCOTT  FAMILY  209 

A  HUNDRED  DOLLARS  IN  HIS  TRUNK 

During  this  time  he  had  kept  a  hundred 
dollars  hidden  away  in  his  trunk.  It  was 
not  known  that  he  had  this  money  until 
after  Lelia,  his  eldest  child,  came  down  with 
typhoid  fever.  When  at  her  bedside  one  day, 
I  asked  her  if  there  was  anything  she  wanted. 
She  replied,  "I  could  eat  some  grapes,  but  papa 
will  not  spend  any  of  his  hundred  dollars  to  buy 
them."  I  had  one  dollar  in  my  pocket,  but  I 
took  a  part  of  this  and  bought  the  grapes. 

The  following  morning  our  Scripture 
lesson  was  taken  from  i  Kings  17,  where  the 
widow  of  Zarephath  baked  her  last  cake  for 
Elijah,  which  was  followed  by  the  miraculous 
increase  of  the  oil  and  the  meal.  Mr.  Scott 
had  the  meal,  but  refused  to  bake  the  cake  as 
the  widow  did,  and  there  could  be  no  miracle 
wrought  in  behalf  of  his  family. 

After  many  solicitations  and  repeated  fail 
ures  to  get  him  to  obey  the  Lord,  and  finding 
that  he  was  hindering  the  faith  of  others,  we 
told  him  the  best  thing  for  him  to  do  was  to 
rent  a  house  and  move  his  family  into  it.  He 
was  not  expecting  this,  but  set  out  at  once  to 
look  for  a  house.  One  was  secured  not  far 
from  the  School,  and  he  often  came  in  to 

TRUTH — 14. 


2io    TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN   FICTION 

the  morning  class  where  the  Lord  continued 
to  talk  to  him,  giving  him  clear  light  as  t< >  what 
he  should  do.  But  he  hardened  under  the  mes 
sages,  and  his  danger  was  apparent  to  all. 

He  refused  to  sever  his  connection  with 
the  old  Presbyterian  Church,  of  which  he  had 
been  a  member  for  years,  and  yet  he  claimed 
that  there  was  no  spirituality  in  it,  and  that  he 
\\as  practically  out.  But  for  some  cause  he 
was  unwilling  to  write  his  church  officials  to 
re-move  his  name.  I  knew  by  this  time 
that  he  lacked  sincerity  or  he  would  not  have 
hesitated  a  moment  to  break  all  connections 
with  an  organization  that  he  knew  to  he  spirit 
ually  dead. 

One  morning  when  he  was  present  at  the 
prayer  service  I  rose  with  a  burning  message. 
Unable  to  longer  refrain  from  speaking,  I  told 
him  that  God's  judgments  were  speedily  com 
ing  upon  him.  I  shall  never  forget  the  expres 
sions  on  the  faces  of  the  students  and  others 
that  were  present.  They  trembled  under  what 
they  believed  was  God's  last  message  to  him. 
In  a  state  of  rebellion  he  rose  and  left  the 
room. 

For  months  and  even  years  we  had  been 
trying  to  raise  a  standard  in  the  School  against 


JUDGMENTS  ON  THE  SCOTT  FAMILY  211 

old  churchianity,  and  made  a  rule  that  none 
of  our  people  should  attend  services  at  the 
different  churches  without  permission.  He 
knew  all  about  our  reasons  for  this,  as  the 
argument  had  been  made  in  his  hearing  time 
and  again.  But  notwithstanding  he  and  his 
wife  went  to  St.  James  M.  E.  Church  to  attend 
a  service  a  few  weeks  later,  knowing  that  they 
were  doing  so  against  the  light  and  rules  of 
the  Institution. 

Some  may  have  blamed  the  woman,  but  she 
was  not  the  ruling  spirit  in  the  Scott  home,  her 
husband  dominated  everything,  and  she,  lack 
ing  will  power,  and  being  in  delicate  health, 
made  but  little  resistance. 

On  returning  from  the  church,  where  they 
had  gone  to  hear  a  favorite  evangelist,  when 
in  a  few  feet  from  the  corner  where  they  were 
to  alight,  Mrs.  Scott  stepped  from  the  moving 
car,  and  the  back  of  her  head  struck  the 
ground,  causing  concussion  of  the  brain  from 
which  she  died  two  hours  later.  She  never 
spoke  after  the  accident. 

We  believe  it  was  the  mercy  of  the  Lord 
that  took  her  away,  leaving  her  husband  to  suf 
fer  for  his  disobedience  and  rebellion.  I  U-  was 
left  with  five  children  to  care  for,  without 


- 
O 


JUDGMENTS  ON  THE  SCOTT  FAMILY  213 

friends  or  money,  or  even  a  position  where  he 
could  earn  wages.  The  care  of  the 'home  and 
children  was  a  heavy  burden  on  Lelia,  only 
fourteen  years  of  age,  who  was  just  recovering 
from  her  long  spell  of  fever.  We  begged  him  to 
let  us  take  the  little  ones,  but  still  he  persisted 
in  having  his  own  way,  saying  that  he  intended 
to  keep  his  children  together. 

My  husband's  mother,  who  came  from 
West  Virginia  to  attend  the  funeral  of  Mrs. 
Scott,  her  only  daughter,  lived  with  the  fam 
ily  for  a  time,  relieving  Lelia  of  some  of  the 
burden.  But  everything  continued  to  go 
against  Mr.  Scott,  and  to  my  knowledge  he 
moved  three  times  within  a  few  months. 

Having  utterly  failed  in  the  West 
he  decided  to  go  back  to  West  Vir 
ginia.  He  consented  to  bring  his  chil 
dren  and  come  to  the  Bible  School  the  few 
days  while  he  was  making  ready  to  go.  Dur 
ing  this  time  God  gave  him  one  more  warning 
which  stirred  him  to  the  depths.  He  retorted, 
"God  can  speak  through  others  as  well  as  you 
or  other  members  of  this  organization,  and  I 
expect  to  get  light  from  other  sources  and  walk 
in  it.  I  have  yet  to  see  or  believe  that  the 
Pillar  of  Fire  is  the  only  religious  movement 


214     TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

that  can  give  a  man  light."  In  the  mood  that 
he  was  in  it  was  useless  for  any  one  to  talk  to 
him.  I.elia  begged  to  be  allowed  to  stay 
in  the  School,  but  he  told  her  it  would  never 
do  for  her  to  be  separated  from  the  smaller 
children,  and  with  sobs  and  tears  she  said,  "1 
will  have  to  go  because  Papa  says  so." 

As  he  started  down  the  steps  with  tl it- 
baby  in  his  arms,  I  said,  "Mr.  Scott,  God'- 
judgments  are  going  to  continue  to  fall  upon 
you." 

He  replied,  "I  will  risk  it,"  and  before 
reaching  the  foot  of  the  stairs,  said  again,  "I 
will  risk  it." 

It  surprised  his  acquaintances  in  \Ye-t 
Virginia  that  he  ever  returned  after  having 
made  a  complete  failure  in  business  before 
leaving  for  the  West. 

Xot  long  after  his  return,  Lelia  took 
quick  consumption  and  died.  She  was  sick 
only  a  few  weeks.  There  was  no  one  but  the 
aged  grandmother  to  look  after  the  three  small 
children,  and  she  had  her  hands  full  at  home. 

Shortly  after  Lelia's  death,  Mr.  Scott  died 
also,  and  the  younger  children  were  left  en 
tirely  in  the  care  of  their  grandmother. 


JUHIMKXTS    OX    THE    SCOTT    FAMILY    215 

He  was  sick  only  a  short  time  and  no  one 
was  expecting  him  to  die.  A  complete  collapse 
of  his  physcial  powers  came  suddenly.  In  his 
unconscious  moments,  he  seemed  to  be  planning 
to  get  back  to  the  Bible  School  at  Denver,  and 
spoke  of  the  hundred  dollars  in  his  trunk.  He 
had  reference  to  the  money  that  he  kept  hid 
in  his  trunk  \vhile  in  our  Bible  School. 

Mr.  Scott  wanted  his  way,  and  he  had  it 
for  a  short  time. 

The  calamities  that  befell  this  family  all 
took  place  in  a  little  more  than  two  years.  The 
scripture  says,  "He,  that  being  often  reproved 
hardeneth  his  neck,  shall  suddenly  be  de 
stroyed,  and  that  without  remedy." 

The  following  additional  statement  was 
made  by  my  husband,  shortly  after  the  death 
of  Mr.  Scott: 

"After  coming  to  Denver,  Price  was 
clearly  reclaimed  in  one  of  our  meetings.  He 
came  out  in  a  strong  testimony,  saying  he  had 
been  a  backslider  for  fifteen  or  twenty  years, 
yet  during  this  time  was  superintendent  of 
a  Sabbath-school  and  about  the  most  active 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in 
the  community  where  he  was  reared.  He  saw 
the  awful  state  of  the  old  Church  and  the  in- 


216     TRUTH   STKAXCKK  THAN  FICTION 

dividual  members,  believing  that  they  would 
all  perish  if  something  was  not  done  for  tlu-in 
He  spoke  of  the  worldly  choir  in  which  he 
sang;  of  the  evils  existing  there  and  of  its 
hurtful  influence  upon  his  life.  He  told  how 
for  ten  years  he  attended  his  lodge,  I  believe 
he  said  every  Saturday  night,  making  520  Sat 
urday  nights  away  from  his  wife  and  children 
who  needed  him  in  the  preparation  for  the 
Sabbath.  He  told  what  some  of  his  troubles, 
difficulties  and  temptations  had  been  and  testi 
fied  that  a  great  change  had  been  wrought  in 
him,  and  the  wife  affirmed  later  that  it  was  so. 
He  rose  from  the  altar  with  a  covenant  to  do 
and  be  anything  that  God  wanted,  and  believed 
that  it  would  be  to  preach  the  Gospel,  as  the 
call  was  upon  him  in  his  early  life.  This  was 
a  voluntary,  face  to  face  transaction  with  God. 

REFUSING  TO  WALK  IN  THE  LIGHT 

"Light  kept  coming  as  weeks  passed,  and 
the  meaning  of  following  Christ  fully,  began 
to  dawn  upon  him  more  and  more  and  he  began 
to  draw  back.  The  family  had  been  the  sub 
ject  of  many  prayers  and  now  that  he  had 
started,  the  Lord  tried  to  press  him  through. 
The  Holy  Spirit  fanned  upon  him  with  His 
white  wings  and  brought  all  influences  possible 


JUDGMENTS  ON  THE  SCOTT  FAMILY  217 

to  press  him  to  his  goal.  We  were  all  alive 
to  his  every  interest  and  incessantly  implored 
God  to  take  him  through.  The  enemy  of  his 
soul  got  in,  he  lost  sight  of  what  God  had 
shown  him  and  set  his  heart  on  having  a  world 
ly  position  and  managing  his  own  life  and 
course.  He  became  unrestfu'l  and  ran  to  get 
a  position,  but  the  Lord  closed  the  way  before 
him.  Every  morning  upon  seeing  a  newspa 
per  notice,  he  would  go  out,  thinking  a  posi 
tion  would  be  obtained,  and  if  he  failed  he 
would  say  that  next  morning  he  would  go  to 
work  on  our  building,  but  it  would  be  the  same 
thing  over.  We  were  pained  over  his  persist 
ent  course,  and  the  Spirit  that  got  into  him 
was  seen  not  to  be  of  God.  He  seemed  driven 
on  in  desperation  as  though  there  were  no  God. 
When  he  would  hasten  away  we  knew  that  he 
would  return  without  success.  'Just  missed 
it,'  Too  late,'  etc.,  he  would  say.  The  Lord 
had  an  open  door  and  stood  waiting  for  him 
to  enter  it.  Oh,  we  thought,  if  he  would  only 
get  quiet  before  God  and  get  his  bearings 
from  heaven. 

THE  CRISIS  IN   HIS  LIFE 

"The  crisis  came  in  the  Bible  School  one 
day  in  prayers,  in  an  experience  that  will  never 


218     TRUTH  STRAM.KU  THAN    Ku  TIO.N 

be  erased  from  memory.  It  was  one  of  those 
clear-cut,  well  defined  workings  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  that  was  as  plain  to  us  as  the  hand-writ 
ing  on  the  wall.  Price  could  not  read  the  end 
of  that  day's  work,  but  some  of  us  could.  The 
warning  message  came  as  startling  as  a  clap  of 
thunder  from  a  clear  sky.  A  great  burden 
came  on  the  School  for  him  and  the  Holy  Spir 
it  burned  into  hearts,  prayers  and  exhortations 
in  his  behalf.  Something  dark  hung  about 
him.  He  was  at  the  forks  of  the  road.  The 
pressure  on  him  was  so  great  that  he  took  off 
his  coat  and  stood  on  a  chair  and  wrestled  with 
God  as  Jacob,  not  for  the  victory,  but  to  have 
his  own  way  in  life. 

"What  all  there  was  in  that  hour  that  he 
held  back,  and  the  full  meaning  of  becoming 
a  'living  sacrifice'  as  God  asked  it  from  him, 
only  eternity  will  reveal.  He  doubtless  saw 
the  loss  of  worldly  friendships  and  prefer 
ments,  the  meaning  of  preaching  the  Gospel 
in  this  age  of  apostasy,  of  going  without  the 
gate  with  Christ  and  bearing  the  reproach, 
with  the  trials  of  a  life  of  faith,  the  poverty 
on  earth  that  makes  one  rirh  in  Christ  and  lays 
up  treasures  in  heaven.  It  was  an  awful  mo- 
im'iit.  All  heaven  paused.  The  serpent  of 


JUDGMENTS  ox  THE  SCOTT  FAMILY  219 

the  pit  drew  closer  with  confidence  and  raised 
to  throw  his  spell  over  him  and  coil  his  influ 
ence  about  him.  His  course  was  not  only  be 
ing  settled,  but  it  was  being  settled  in  a  way 
that  would  affect  his  family  for  time  and  eter 
nity;  then  there  were  relatives  and  people  of 
the  world  who  were  to  rise  or  sink  by  his  de 
cision — lost  by  his  not  preaching  the  Gospel. 
Had  he  but  lost  his  life  for  Christ's  sake,  he 
would  have  found  it;  had  he  but  given  up  all, 
he  would  have  gained  all.  He  resisted  and 
drew  back.  It  cannot  be  told,  the  feeling  that 
came  over  us.  He  not  only  pushed  God  out 
of  his  plans,  but  deliberately  took  his  family 
out  of  His  hands,  and  his  eyes  becoming 
blinded  he  purposed  to  and  did  set  himself  in 
his  own  course  contrary  to  all  warnings  and 
entreaties.  The  die  of  his  life  was  cast.  I 
can  see  the  angel  under  divine  orders,  that 
hour  write  his  wife's  name  in  the  records  of 
heaven  for  removal,  and  then  the  sweet-spir 
ited,  beautiful  daughter,  Lelia's  name  went 
down,  both  of  whom  were  soon  taken  from 
earth ;  the  first  going  almost  in  a  flash  never 
knowing  what,  hurt  her.  Our  hearts  bled! 
\\  e  suffered  as  much  over  the  suddenness  of 
her  departure  as  we  did  over  all  the  deaths  in 


22O     Turin    STKAXCKR  THAN    l;n  iiox 

the  family.  By  the  first  suffering  \ve  were 
prepared  for  the  latter.  \VhcMi  the  published 
announcement  came  of  Lelia's  death  and  how 
she  could  say  in  her  affliction,  'hear  Je>u-. 
how  I  love  you,'  I  read  it  to  Mrs.  \Yhite  and 
her  heart  filled  with  sorrow  and  she  said. 
'Stop,  I  cannot  stand  it.'  It  brought  to  re- 
memhrance  the  scene  in  the  room  of  prayer 
where  Price  rejected  the  light  that  shone 
squarely  in  his  face  when  she  came  from  the 
room  feeling  as  though  the  flesh  on  her  would 
burst  under  the  power  of  God,  saying,  'The 
judgments  of  God  are  coining  upon  him!  .  Ire 
coming  upon  him!'  As  she  emphasized  it% 
with  the  downward  gesture  of  the  hands,  and 
her  heart  in  agony,  I  myself  knetv  it  ?<.'a.v  so! 
Too  ivell,  I  knew  it! 

"When  he  returned  East,  I  would  fain 
have  thrown  myself  in  front  of  him  and 
stopped  him  by  force  from  carrying  the  five 
children  back,  but  there  was  nothing  that  could 
avail;  he  went  leaving  his  wife's  (my  only  sis 
ter's)  remains  under  the  shadow  of  the  Rock 
ies.  Lelia  suffered  in  the  thought  of  return 
ing,  saying  she  never  again  could  stand  the 
formal,  dead  Church  services. 

"I  am   satisfied  this  family  would  all  be 


"I'LL  RISK  IT' 


jj_>     TKTTII   STKANCKK  THAN    FICTION 

living  today  if  God's  will  had  been  done.  One 
c«»uld  not  believe  otherwise,  after  goini; 
through  what  we  did.  I  have  told  this  as 
I  would  in  a  circle  of  family  relations  around 
\':v  old  hearth-stone  at  a  late  hour  at  night 
\\lien  the  fire  has  died  down,  leaving  but  a 
few  glimmering  embers,  when  faces  and  forms 
grow  dim,  but  the  presence  of  all  is  real.  It 
was  around  such  firesides  in  my  early  life  that 
the  most  solemn  events  were  told,  and  carried 
to  the  chambers  of  sleep  to  be  carefully 
weighed  and  thought  over. 

"To  those  who  read  this,  let  it  find  a  place 
in  your  hearts  to  save  you  from  presumption 
and  rebellion  against  God." 


CHAPTER  XI 

SWIFT  JUDGMENTS 

During  the  spring  and  summer  following 
the  completion  of  our  new  building,  we  were 
greatly  annoyed  by  a  Mr.  L —  who  lived 
across  the  street  from  us.  This  was  the  man 
from  whom  we  bought  our  lots  and  to  whom 
later  was  given  the  contract  to  put  up  the  build 
ing.  We  found  him  to  be  unreliable,  and  an  ene 
my  of  every  good  cause.  It  was  he  who  was  re 
sponsible  for  the  collapse  of  the  building  en 
terprise  by  getting  into  entanglements  with 
the  city  officials  causing  the  work  to  stop  for 
a  number  of  months. 

This  man  was  looked  upon  by  our  people 
as  Sanballat,  the  enemy  of  Nehemiah  in  the 
rebuilding  of  the  walls  of  Jerusalem.  He  pre 
tended  to  be  our  friend,  and  was  apparently 
anxious  to  see  the  work  prosper,  but  at  heart 
he  had  no  good  intentions  whatever.  He 
sought  every  opportunity  to  take  the  advantage 
of  us,  in  his  grasp  for  the  dollar,  and  suc 
ceeded  in  getting  much  more  than  was  due 
him. 


224     T:-     M   STK  v.\<;r.u  THAN   FICTION 

As  soon  as  we  could  get  things  entirely 
out  of  his  hands,  another  contractor,  a  Mr. 
Hall,  vvas  employed,  who  gave  satisfaction  in 
every  way.  From  the  time  the  work  passed 
out  of  Mr.  L — 's  hands  he  became  our  hit 
ter  foe,  and  sought  every  opportunity  to 
work  some  underhanded  scheme  to  overthrow 
the  whole  enterprise.  The  battle  sometimes 
seemed  almost  more  than  we  could  bear,  and 
in  seeking  consolation  we  often  turned  to  the 
book  of  Nehemiah  and  read  the  story  of  the 
re-building  of  the  walls  of  Jerusalem. 

We  had  Sanballat  to  contend  with  just  as 
truly  as  did  Nehemiah. 

After  our  walls  had  gone  up  and  the  build 
ing  was  enclosed,  he  became  openly  hostile, 
and  boastingly  declared  that  he  would  circu 
late  a  petition  and  get  sufficient  names  to  have 
our  work  closed  up.  He  was  not  the  owner 
of  the  lots  we  bought  from  him,  but  was  sim 
ply  the  agent.  He  had  every  opportunity  to 
take  the  advantage  of  us  and  force  us  to  come 
to  his  terms. 

After  his  contract  was  broken  with  us  he 
built  a  new  lodging  house,  or  hotel,  as  he  called 
it,  and  we  believe  that  the  money  he  made  in 
his  dealings  with  us,  made  it  possible  for  him  to 


SWIFT  JUDGMENTS  225 

put  up  this  building,  and  that  he  had  in  mind 
some  scheme  to  get  our  property  also.  He  was 
a  political  schemer  and  trickster,  and  had  a 
large  number  of  people  under  his  influence. 

On  the  evenings  that  our  services  were 
held  he  showed  much  discomfort  and  unrest, 
and  would  sit  or  walk  in  front  of  his  hotel, 
unable  to  conceal  his  animosity.  And  occa 
sionally  during  a  week  night  service  when 
there  was  a  larger  congregation  than  usual  he 
would  walk  in  and  take  a  seat  in  the  rear,  evi 
dently  to  get  hold  of  something  that  he  could 
use  against  us. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  summer  my  hus 
band  and  I  went  to  Los  Angeles  for  a  few 
weeks.  While  there  engaged  in  revival  work, 
news  reached  us  that  this  man  was  about  to 
circulate  the  petition.  I  shall  never  forget 
what  a  blow  it  was  to  me.  I  knew  that  he 
would  carry  out  his  evil  designs  if  there  was 
not  divine  intervention  as  the  people  in  that 
neighborhood  were  not  very  friendly  toward 
us. 

The  day  the  letter  was  received  we  were 
having  an  all  day  prayer  service  in  the  Mis 
sionary  Home  Where  we  were  stopping,  and 
souls  were  praying  through  and  getting  blest. 

TRUTH — 15. 


TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

The  Lord  was  present  in  power.  Hut  I  felt 
that  I  must  go  to  my  room  and  pray  alone. 
During  the  next  five  hours  it  seemed  that  the 
blood  was  almost  dropping  from  my  heart, 
and  as  the  time  approached  to  go  to  the  even 
ing  service,  I  felt  that  God  had  heard  m\ 
prayer  and  would  avenge  His  own  elect. 

I  went  back  to  the  prayer  room  and  told 
those  who  were  present  that  the  Lord  had  giv 
en  the  victory,  and  that  He  was  going  to  take 
the  Sanballat  of  the  Pillar  of  Fire  movement 
in  hand. 

A  few  weeks  later  a  large  open-air  meet 
ing  was  being  conducted  by  our  missionaries 
and  students  in  front  of  our  building  in  Den 
ver.  I  was  looking  out  from  a  second 
story  window,  listening  to  the  songs  and 
testimonies  of  nearly  a  hundred  of  our  stu 
dents.  I  kept  my  eye  on  the  hotel  across  the 
street,  and  its  proprietor  who  was  more  rest 
less  than  usual.  A  young  man  standing  near 
him  on  the  sidewalk  was  very  much  inter 
ested  in  the  service,  but  for  his  own  good 
was  too  close  to  the  hotel.  Mr.  L —  gave 
him  a  vicious  look,  and  I  thought  I  saw  his 
lips  move.  But  the  young  man  was  so  inter 
ested  he  did  not  seem  to  notice  him. 


SWIFT  JUDGMENTS  227 

Mr.  L —  left  his  seat,  rushed  to  his  office, 
and  came  out  shuffling  something  up  his  sleeve. 
I  said,  O  my  Lord,  he  has  a  club.  Almost  in 
stantly  the  young  man  was  given  a  terrific 
blow  which  sent  him  about  ten  feet.  After 
getting  on  his  feet  he  looked  around,  at  a  loss 
to  know  what  had  taken  place,  as  Mr.  L — ,  the 
hotel  proprietor,  had  struck  him  in  the  back. 
The  young  man,  badly  frightened,  soon  dis 
appeared. 

Horrified  at  what  had  taken  place,  I  said,. 
My  God,  how  long  will  you  permit  this  man  to 
go  on  in  this  way.  If  he  is  not  going  to  re 
pent  it  would  be  better  for  Thee  to  take  him 
out  of  the  world  now,  than  to  let  him  live  on 
and  have  more  on  his  record  to  account  for. 
He  had  taken  his  seat  again  with  a  grin  of  sat 
isfaction.  I  could  not  help  but  feel  that  the 
Avenger  was  close  at  hand. 

About  ten  days  later  I  was  attending  a 
meeting  in  Chicago,  and  some  one  brought  me 
a  paper  with  an  account"  of  a  terrible  railroad 
disaster  near  Pueblo,  Colorado.  There  had  been 
a  cloud-burst,  and  a  railroad  bridge  across  a 
river,  swept  away.  A  Rio  Grande  train  plunged 
over  the  banks  into  the  awful  chasm,  and  near 
ly  ever  person  on  board  was  killed  or  drowned. 


j_'S     TRUTH   STKAM.KR  THAN    l;u  rx>\ 

There  was  but  one  car  in  the  rear  that  did  not 
go  over. 

I  looked  over  the  list  of  the  dead,  but  saw 
the  name  of  no  one  I  knew.  A  later  issue  re 
vealed  the  fact  that  the  hotel  proprietor  had 
gone  down  in  the  awful  wreck.  A  letter  from 
my  husband  a  few  days  later  said  that  his  re 
mains  had  been  brought  back  to  Denver,  and 
were  then  lying  in  the  hotel  across  the  street. 
He  was  dragged  out  of  the  mud  and  rubbish  in 
the  river  bed,  and  presented  an  awful  appear 
ance.  No  words  could  describe  the  lifeless 
form. 

Thus  was  the  ending  of  the  person  who  had 
given  us  so  much  trouble  and  who  had  lifted 
his  arms  of  rebellion  against  the  Almighty. 
The  hotel  which  he  built  had  a  hundred  bed 
rooms,  besides  other  apartments.  An  electric 
sign  on  the  top  of  the  building  flashed  out  liis 
name.  This  hotel  had  a  very  fancy  front,  but 
was  not  substantially  built  and  many  said  it 
was  characteristic  of  the  man. 

I \\<  young  wife  with  one  child  was  left  to 
conduct  the  business.  Later,  the  Government 
bought  the  whole  block  on  which  to  erect  a 
United  States  Post-office,  and  Mrs.  L — ,  wn- 
forced  to  sell  her  property.  The  hotel 


SWIFT  JUDGMENTS  229 

torn  down  and. removed  from  the  grounds,  and 
the  Government  building,  erected  at  a  cost  of 
$3,000,000  covers  nearly  the  entire  block. 

The  Lord  has  said  that  He  would  destroy 
the  wicked  both  root  and  branch,  and  never 
were  words  more  manifestly  fulfilled  than  in 
the  case  of  this  man. 

In  the  same  block  was  the  Coliseum  Hall, 
the  largest  in  Denver  until  the  new  audi 
torium  on  Champa  and  Fourteenth  streets  was 
built.  We  once  held  a  Convention  in  the  Col 
iseum  Hall  during  which  $2,000  was  given  to 
make  the  first  payment  on  the  lots  where  our 
building  now  stands. 

In  connection  with  this  auditorium  was 
a  smaller  hall,  where  the  meetings  of  the  Colo 
rado  Holiness  Association  were  held.  Among 
its  members  were  our  bitterest  enemies.  A  fire 
destroyed  the  building  and  they  were  compelled 
to  hunt  other  quarters.  They  had  a  humiliat 
ing  experience  which  brought  disgrace  upon 
the  association  and  later  they  disbanded  alto 
gether. 

The  Psalmist  said,  "I  called  upon  the  Lord 
in  distress:  the  Lord  answered  me,  and  set 
me  in  a  large  place.  The  Lord  is  on  my  side; 
1  will  not  fear:  what  can  man  do  unto  me?  The 


SWIFT  JUDGMENTS  231 

Lord  taketh  my  part  with  them  that  help  me: 
therefore  shall  I  see  my  desire  upon  them  that 
hate  me.  It  is  better  to  trust  in  the  Lord  than 
to  put  confidence  in  man.  It  is  better  to  trust 
in  the  Lord  than  to  put  confidence  «in  princes. 
All  nations  compassed  me  about:  but  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord  will  I  destroy  them.  *  *  * 
They  compassed  me  about  like  bees;  they  are 
quenched  as  the  fire  of  thorns:  *  *  *  The 
Lord  is  my  strength  and  song,  and  is  become 
my  salvation"  (Psa.  118). 

How  sure  is  the  foundation  of  the  right 
eous!  God's  word  cannot  fail,  He  will  help 
those  who  help  His  people,  and  destroy  those 
who  fight  against  them.  There  is  no  alterna 
tive.  When  people  hate  and  persecute  those 
who  trust  in  Him,  they  will  have  to  suffer  the 
consequences  for  He  has  promised  to  uphold 
the  righteous  by  the  right  hand  of  His  power, 
and  to  destroy  all  the  workers  of  iniquity. 

Nearly  all  who  lived  in  this  particular  block 
on  Champa  street  were  enemies  to  our  work. 
An  old,  gray-headed  woman  with  children  and 
grandchildren,  showed  much  hostility.  She 
kept  the  young  people  in  her  home  from  attend 
ing  our  services  when  they  had  a  desire  to  serve 
the  Lord.  Afterwards  her  favorite  grand- 


j^j     Tkrni   STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

daughter,  unable  to  stem  the  tide  of  worldli- 
ness  in  the  company  where  she  was  com 
pelled  to  go,  brought  sorrow  to  the  limne. 
Other  things  happened  which  were  equally  as 
bad,  which  helped  to  clothe- the  home  in  mourn 
ing  and  finally  break  it  up. 

Judgments  came  quickly  on  those  who  op 
posed  God's  work  and  people.  There  were 
suicides,  murders  and  disasters  happening  .ill 
around  us.  One  could  scarcely  pick  up  a 
newspaper  without  reading  the  account  of 
some  one's  being  suddenly  cut  down,  who  had 
attended  our  services  and  failed  to  yield  to  the 
pleadings  of  the  Spirit  or  had  fought  against 
the  work.  A  woman  becoming  angry  at  what 
she  read  in  one  of  our  papers,  tore  it  in 
pieces,  and  the  next  day  dropped  dead.  All 
kinds  of  calamities  came  upon  hypocritical 
professors,  •  who  had  used  their  influence 
against  the  work.  Truly  the  God  who  deliv 
ered  the  children  of  Israel  from  the  Egyptians 
and  sent  judgments  on  all  who  tried  to  hinder 
them,  was  with  us  in  demonstration  and  power. 
When  we  had  done  our  best,  our  extrem 
ity  was  His  opportunity,  and  He  would  roll 
the  sea  away.  When  our  feet  were  in  the 
water's  edge  and  the  billows  mountain  high. 


SWIFT  JUDGMENTS  233 

He  would  catch  the  flood  with  an  unseen  hand 
and  let  us  pass  over.  Then  on  the  banks  of 
deliverance  He  would  give  us  a  song  of  praise 
and  the  gates  of  heaven  would  open  over  our 

souls. 

\Yonderful,  wonderful,  beyond  words  to  tell, 
\Yonderful  salvation,  that  makes  our  hearts  swell . 

To  the  best  of  my  ability  I  have  been  try 
ing  to  tell  it  for  many  years.  There  are  times 
of  special  anointing  when  I  feel  the  earthen 
vessel  will  break,  but  God  knows  just  how  much 
I  can  bear  and  stays  His  hand.  Oh,  if 
people  could  only  know  that  it  is  possible  to 
have  a  foretaste  of  heaven  on  earth  they  cer 
tainly  would  let  go  the  trifling  things  of  this 
world  and  place  their  affections  on  things 
above.  Riches  of  grace  are  at  their  command. 
When  my  soul  was  ushered  into  the  Holy  of 
Holies,  I  was  so  enraptured  with  the  face  of 
Jesus  and  the  depths  of  His  infinite  love,  it 
seemed  I  would  die  if  I  could  not  make  it 
known.  And  from  day  to  day,  I  pressed  for 
ward,  using  all  my  ransomed  powers,  exhort 
ing,  singing,  preaching  and  writing,  trying  to 
tell  something  of  the  heights,  depths  and 
breadths  of  this  great  salvation,  though  it 
seemed  that  all  I  could  say  or  do  was  only  a 


234     TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

drop  in  the  ocean.  But  I  was  determined  if 
He  could  use  an  instrument  of  clay  to  place 
myself  at  His  command,  whether  it  meant  life 
or  death.  I  knew  it  would  mean  the  loss  of  all 
things,  but  some  things  were  in  the  unknown 
bundle  of  consecration  that  were  revealed  la 
ter.  But  by  the  grace  of  God  He  has  helped 
me  to  triumph. 

When  the  enemy  has  severely  pressed  me, 
I  have  cried  unto  Him  and  He  has  never 
failed  to  reach  out  a  helping  hand.  The 
patli  has  not  been  strewn  with  roses,  often 
the  thorns  have  pricked  my  feet  and  I  have 
been  weary  with  unceasing  toil,  but  thank- 
God,  it  has  not  been  irksome.  It  has 
a  pleasure  to  give  Him  my  best  and  yet  in 
doing  so  I  felt  I  was  an  unprofitable 
servant.  Oh,  how  often  I  haye  prayed 
to  be  saved  from  a  life  of  selfishness, 
to  be  willing  to  be  spent  in  behalf  of  oth 
ers!  And  how  wonderfully  He  has  come 
and  rewarded  my  efforts  and  multiplied  my 
talents,  and  best  of  all  given  me  the  assurance 
that. I  was  pleasing  Him,  however  ungrateful 
others  might  be! 

The  enemy  has  never  given  me  a  thrust 
that  has  left  anv  bitterness  in  mv  soul  toward 


o 
d 


236    TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

anyone.  He  has  worked  through  the  dear 
est  ties  of  earth  and  placed  the  dagger  in  their 
hand  to  plunge  into  the  depths  of  my  heart, 
hut  instead  of  a  curse  it  has  always  proved  t«. 
be  a  blessing.  Because  of  the  weakness  of  the 
flesh  it  was  hard  to  bear,  hut  ]  was  perfectly 
willing  to  take  anything  that  came,  knowing 
that  I  had  the  promise  that  no  instrument 
that  was  formed  against  me  should  prosper, 
and  even!  though  at  times  it  seemed  my  life's 
blood  was  ebbing  away,  I  have  had  no 
complaint  against  humanity.  Romans  8:28 
says,  "And  we  know  that  all  things  work  to 
gether  for  good  to  them  that  love  God,  to  them 
who  are  the  called  according  to  his  purpose." 
And  God's  word  assures  us  that  if  we  suffer 
with  Him  we  shall  also  reign  with  Him  (2 
Tim.  2:12).  There  is  no  way  to  get  to  heaven 
without  taking  the  Calvary  route,  and  the 
servant  is  not  above  his  Lord.  "For  he  know- 
eth  our  frame;  he  remembereth  that  we  are 
dust"  (Psa.  103:14). 

In  order  to  lift  up  a  New  Testament  stand 
ard  of  righteousness  there  have  been  times 
when  I  have  been  severe  with  people  and 
after  they  have  had  sufficient  warning  and 
failed  to  profit  by  it,  for  Christ's  sake  I  cut 


SWIFT  JUDGMENTS  237 

them  oft"  and  had  no  more  fellowship  with 
them.  It  was  hard  to  do,  often  taking  all  my 
physical  and  spiritual  strength,  but  God  has 
never  failed  to  show  His  approval  and  to  re 
ward  me  for  keeping  up  the  standard. 

I  have  found  that  my  worst  foes  have  been 
among  my  own  kinsfolk.  The  enemy  has 
sought  in  every  conceivable  way  through  hu 
man  relationships  to  defeat  the  work  God  has 
called  me  to  do.  He  has  taken  the  advantage 
of  these  ties  and  oftentimes  cracked  the  lash 
over  my  head  to  force  me  into  submission,  and 
desperate  conflicts  have  followed,  but  thank 
God,  I  have  triumphed. 

The  rains  have  descended,  the  floods  have 
come,  the  winds  have  blown  and  beat  upon  my 
house,  but  it  has  been  unmoved.  It  is  founded 
on  the  Rock,  and  storm  and  tempest  have 
not  been  able  to  overthrow  it.  There  is  nothing 
of  earth  stronger  than  the  human  tie.  The 
devil  knows  this,  and  along  his  line  of  defense 
raises  great  bulwarks  to  defeat  the  kingdom 
of  Christ.  If  he  should  succeed  the  plan  of 
salvation  would  be  a  failure  and  his  triumph 
would  be  complete.  But  thank  God  there  are 
a  few  people  who  are  not  totally  blind  to  his 
schemes,  and  who  would  sacrifice  the  dearest 


238     TRUTH  STKANCKR  THAN  FICTION 

human    ties    rather    than    to   give    up    Christ. 
Farewell  to  the  world  with  all  its  p< ;mj>  a..«l  pride. 
k>r.-  my  Savior,  in  Thee  1   would  abide. 

If  the  enemies  of  i;.c  Cross  who  pluni^ 
>\vk!cssly  into  t'.ic  1  attic  would  only  stop  and 
t':ink,  reason  \\nuld  gain  t    C  and 

many  calamities  \vould  1  c  avoided.  T.iose 
\vl:o  bccorr.e  l;old  in  their  defiance  of  t/.e  truth 
usually  do  so  with  a  conscience  smiting  them, 
and  a  little  hesitancy  and  forethought  would 
turn  aside  the  judgments  of  the  Almighty. 
God's  word  cannot  fail.  The  past  six  thou 
sand  years  of  Bible  history  have  proved  this 
to  be  true.  He  is  the  Alpha  and  Omega,  the 
first  and  the  last.  Man  may  get  in  between 
>omcwhere,  but  be  assured  God  will  be  at  the 
winding  up  of  the  conflict,  and  all  flesh  before 
Him  shall  be  silent. 

Isaiah,  speaking  of  His  anointed  said, 
''I  am  the  Lord  thy  God,  the  Holy  One  <>i  N- 
rael,  thy  Savior:  I  gave  Egypt  for  thy  ran 
som,  Ethiopia  and  Seba  for  fhee.  Since  thou 
wast  precious  in  my  sight  thou  hast  been  hon 
orable,  and  I  have  loved  thee:  therefore  I  will 
-ive  men  for  thee,  and  people  for  thy  life. 
Fear  not:  for  I  am  with  thee:  I  will  bring  thy 
seed  from  t':e  east  ard  gather  thee  from  the 


240     TRUTH   STR.\.\(,I-:K  THAN  FICTION 

west.  I  will  say  to  the  north,  Give  up;  and 
to  the  south,  Keep  not  back:  bring  my  sons 
from  far,  and  my  daughters  from  the  ends  of 
the  earth." 

Many  times  when  the  enemy  has  made 
a  desperate  fight,  I  have  been  encouraged  by 
the  foregoing  scripture.  It  hardly  seemed  pos 
sible  that  the  Lord  would  work  through  such 
an  instrument  when  there  were  others  at  hand 
that  seemed  far  more  competent.  But  in  spite 
of  their  protests  He  has  rejected  them  and 
cast  them  aside,  and  continued  to  pour  out  His 
blessings  upon  me,  and  to  use  me  at  the  front 
of  the  battle,  exposing  hypocrisy  in  the  church 
es.  Scores  of  would-be  leaders  were  set  aside 
because  they  were  unwilling  to  make  the 
sacrifice  and  uncover  sin.  Many  of  them 
counted  the  cost  and  were  not  willing  to 
pay  the  price,  and  today  they  are  withered 
branches,  tied  up  in  bundles,  ready  to  be 
burned.  How  hard  it  is  for  people  to  obey, 
when  God  says  do  this  or  that,  or  sit  thott  here, 
or  stand  still,  or  render  service  in  some  part  of 
the  vineyard  that  is  not  pleasing  to  them ! 
They,  say  they  want  to  obey  God,  but  at  the 
same  time  they  want  to  have  their  own  way 
and  make  the  Almighty  come  to  their  term<. 


SWIFT  JUDGMENTS  241 

This  He  will  never  do.  He  may  give  them 
a  little  rope,  but  be  assured  there  will  be  a  time 
of  reining  up  when  they  must  consent  to  His 
decisions,  or  suffer  the  consequences.  "Not 
every  one  that  saith  unto  me,  Lord,  Lord,  shall 
enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven;  but  he  that 
doeth  the  will  of  my  Father  which  is  in  heav 
en." 

TRUTH — 16. 


CHAPTER  XII 
GOD'S  JUDGMENTS  IN  THE  EARTH 

.The  fulfilment  of  prophecy  was  mightily 
demonstrated  in  the  earthquake  disaster  on 
the  Pacific  Coast  in  1906.  The  whole  country 
was  horrified  at  the  loss  of  property  and  hu 
man  life,  which  came  as  the  result  of  a  single 
stroke  from  the  hand  of  the  Almighty.  When 
conditions  in  San  Francisco  are  understood 
one  should  not  be  surprised  that  nearly  the 
whole  city  was  wiped  out.  It  must  b,e  remem 
bered  that  there  is  a  limit  to  God's  forbearance, 
and  it  matters  not  whether  many  or  few  are 
involved.  He  is  longsuffering  ( and  merciful, 
but  when  a  decision  to  administer  punishment 
has  been  reached,  it  often  comes  like  a  flash  of 
lightning  and  whole  cities  and  countries  are 
left  in  desolation.  Psalm  7:11-16  says,  "God 
judgeth  the  righteous,  and  God  is  angry  with 
the  wicked  every  day.  If  he  turn  not,  he  will 
whet  his  sword ;  he  hath  bent  his  bow,  and  made 
it  ready.  He  hath  also  prepared  for  him  the 
instruments  of  death;  he  ordained  his  arrows 
against  the  persecutors.  Behold,  he  travail- 


GOD'S  JUDGMENTS  IN  THE  EARTH      243 

eth  with  iniquity,  and  hath  conceived  mischief, 
and  brought  forth  falsehood.  He  made  a 
pit,  and  digged  it,  and  is  fallen  into  the  ditch 
which  he  made.  His  mischief  shall  return 
upon  his  own  head,  and  his  violent  dealing 
shall  come  down  upon  his  own  pate." 

There  is  always  the  house  of  Saul  and  the 
house  of  David,  and  these  two  houses  are 
closely  connected.  Their  inmates  are  togeth 
er  for  a  time,  but  there  comes  a  separation. 
Saul  carries  a  javelin  or  a  dagger  under  his 
cloak,  and  at  a  favorable  time  will  seek  to  de 
stroy  the  life  of  David,  or  the  spiritual  life. 
Hence,  the  Lord  has  said  that  a  man's  foes 
are  they  of  his  own  household.  It  has  been 
so  all  down  the  ages.  David  once  lodged  in 
the  house  of  Saul  and  ate  at  his  table.  Saul, 
feeling  that  David  would  some  day  be  heir  to 
the  throne,  and  inflamed  with  the  fires  of  jeal 
ousy  sought  to  take  his  life,  even  after  David 
had  brought  such  great  deliverance  for  Israel 
by  slaying  Goliath. 

For  ten  years  David  was  pursued  by  his 
relentless  foe.  He  was  hounded  like  a  deer 
from  place  to  place,  making  hairbreadth  es 
capes,  and  sometimes  almost  despairing  of  life, 
but  there  came  an  end  to  the  battle.  -Saul, 


_'44     TRUTH  STRAXCKR  THAN    FKTIOX 

who  was  once  counted  among  the  prophets, 
after  he  departed  from  the  Lord  sought  conso 
lation  from  the  witch  of  Endor,  and  in  that 
hour  was  rebuked  by  Samuel  to  the  great  con 
sternation  of  the  sorceress.  God  was  still  on 
his  track,  and  as  with  most  others  who  pursue 
such  a  course,  Saul's  life  ended  in  tragedy. 

God  is  merciful  to  those  who  have  never 
been  enlightened,  but  there  are  many  stripes 
for  those  who  know  to  do  His  will  and  do  it 
not. 

The  calamities  that  have  lately  been  visited 
upon  the  nation  have  started  in  the  West  and 
are  traveling  East,  they  have  followed  in  the 
wake  of  the  Pillar  of  Fire  movement,  and  not 
only  have  there  been  individual  calamities  by 
the  scores  and  hundreds,  but  whole  cities  have 
been  in  part  or  totally  destroyed.  Some  town^ 
have  been  wiped  off  the  map  by  tornadoes, 
floods  and  fire.  Through  these  many  dis- 
a-ters  God  is  awakening  the  people  to  their 
peril  and  giving  us  the  opportunity  to  warn 
them  to  flee  the  wrath  to  come. 

There  has  been  much  unbelief  and  indif 
ference  on  the  part  of  professed  Christians  in 
regard  to  divine  retribution.  Many  have 
thought  that  God  has  no  hand  in  such  things, 


GOD'S  JUDGMENTS  IN  THE  EARTH      245 

that  they  come  by  mere  chance.  This  is 
due  to  the  fact  that  their  spiritual  senses  are 
dull  and  they  have  no  abhorrence  for  sin. 

If  they  had  no  relish  for  the  pleasures  of 
this  world  or  the  things  that  are  forbidden  in 
God's  word  they  would  see- things  from  an  en 
tirely  different  point  of  view  and  would  expect 
calamity  to  fall  on  those  who  disobey  God  and 
have  no  reverence  for  His  word. 

Old  Church  apostasy  is  responsible  for 
people's  daring  and  unbelief.  If  the  watch 
men  on  the  tower  were  giving  out  the  warning 
there  would  not  be  so  many  taken  unawares, 
but  they  are  crying,  "Peace  and  safety,"  while 
the  storm-clouds  of  God's  wrath  continue  to 
gather. 

There  was  no  thought  of  approaching  ca 
lamity  in  San  Francisco  on  the  morning  of 
April  1 8th,  1906,  when  the  earth  began  to 
heave  as  though  trying  to  get  rid  of  an  unde 
sirable  burden,  resulting  in  the  destruction  of 
millions  of  dollars  worth  of  property,  the  loss 
of  many  human  lives,  and  rendering  homeless 
by  fire  nearly  300,000  people,  or  almost  the  en 
tire  population  of  the  city.  God  smote  this 
modern  Gomorrah  as  He  did  the  cities  of  an 
cient  times,  its  cup  of  iniquity  was  full.  A 


s 
u 

I. 

— 

u 
x 


— 


GOD'S  JUDGMENTS  IN  THE  EARTH      247 

great  majority  of  its  population  were  pleasure 
seekers.  There  was  not  a  city  in  the  United 
States  more  thorougly  given  up  to  amusements 
than  was  this  proud  metropolis  of  the  Pacific 
Coast. 

Conrad's  Opera  Company  had  sold  tickets 
to  the  amount  of  $120,000,  on  Monday  pre 
ceding  the  calamity.  This  sale  broke  all  pre 
vious  records,  but  the  great  theater  building 
was  shaken  to  pieces  and  burned  before  the 
play  came  off.  The  company  was  afterward 
entreated  to  turn  over  the  money  to  the  relief 
of  the  sufferers.  Had  things  gone  on  undis 
turbed  there  might  have  been  twice  $120,000 
put  into  opera  tickets,  as  it  will  be  understood 
that  the  $120,000  was  only  a  fore-installment 
from  the  sale  of  tickets.  This  shows  the  god 
less  trend  of  a  profligate  people,  and  their  total 
blindness  to  spiritual  things. 

Could  other  curtains  be  lifted  and  the 
scenes  of  debauchery  in  the  city  previous  to 
its  destruction,  be  depicted  on  the  screens, 
God's  reasons  for  wiping  it  out  would  be  more 
forcibly  apparent.  Under  the  light  of  civiliza 
tion  we  have  no  doubt  that  San  Francisco  was 
as  deserving  of  punishment  as  Sodom  and  Go 
morrah. 


248     TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

The  Scriptures  show  that  the  Gentile  Age 
is  rapidly  drawing  to  a  close.  Luke  21:11 
says,  "Great  earthquakes  shall  be  in  divers 
places,  and  famines,  and  pestilences ;  and  fear 
ful  sights  and  great  signs  shall  there  be  from 
heaven."  This  is  one  of  the  prophecies  to  be 
fulfilled  just  preceding  the  coming  of  the  Lord. 
Jesus  says,  "These  are  the  beginning  of  sor 
rows." 

The  eruption  of  Mt.  Vesuvius  about  t la- 
time  of  the  San  Francisco  earthquake  brought 
terror,  to  those  living  along  the  Mediterranean. 
There  were  great  numbers  of  earthquakes  in 
the  vicinity  of  Rome  and  it  seemed  for  a  time 
that  the  nations  would  awaken  from  their 
awful  sleep.  But  people  are  prone  to  forget, 
and  do  so  in  the  face  of  impending  calamity. 

The  people  at  the  Golden  Gate  who  sur 
vived  the  disaster  began  to  plan  greater  build 
ings.  In  their  imaginations  they  saw  the  city 
rising  from  its  ruins  more  permanent  and 
beautiful  than  ever  before,  and  they  have  ac 
complished  their  purpose.  Buildings  have 
been  constructed  that  are  supposed  to  be  proof 
against  earthquakes.  It  is  just  like  the  folly 
of  man  to  attempt  to  do  such  a  thing.  We  pity 
their  intrepedity,  knowing  that  God  has 


GOD'S  JUDGMENTS  IN  THE  EARTH      249 

brought  every  work  of  man  to  naught  as  it  has 
pleased  Him  to  do  since  the  world  began. 
When  He  shakes  a  city  down,  people  had  better 
not  tamper  with  the  rubbish,  lest  another  stroke 
should  follow  more  deadly  than  the  first. 

In  the  study  of  God's  word,  we  find  that 
earthquakes  are  going  to  play  an  important 
part  in  the  tribulation  judgments.  In  the  past 
centuries  God  used  them  to  destroy  peoples 
and  cities  whose  cups  of  iniquity  were  full. 
The  earth  opened  and  swallowed  up  Korah's 
crowd  who  were  rebelling  against  Moses,  and 
the  people  pertaining  to  Korah  went  down  alive 
into  the  pit.  Afterwards  fire  came  out  and  de 
stroyed  250  men  who  offered  incense,  then  fol 
lowed  the  pestilence,  destroying  14,000  people 
who  were  rebels  at  heart  against  God.  The 
Lord  knows  how  to  sift  the  wicked  out  and  pur 
ify  an  atmosphere  that  is  polluted  by  iniquity. 

Isaiah,  in  prophesying  of  God's  judgments 
on  Jerusalem,  says,  'Thou  shalt  be  visited  of 
the  Lord  of  hosts  with  thunder,  and  with 
earthquake,  and  great  noise,  with  storm  and 
tempest,  and  the  flame  of  devouring  fire"  (Isa. 
29:6).  "Yea,  it  shall  be  at  an  instant  sud 
denly"  (Isa.  29:5).  Fire  always  follows 
earthquakes.  The  loss  of  life  and  the  d'e- 


250    TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

struction  of  property  in  San  Francisco  by  the 
earthquake  were  not  so  great,  but  it  was  the 
fire  that  followed  which  wrapped  the  city  in  a 
seething  hell  of  flames  and  drove  people  mad 
in  trying  to  make  their  escape. 

GOD'S  WHIRLWINDS 

There  are  many  people  congratulating 
themselves  on  being  out  of  the  volcanic  dis 
tricts,  but  they  seem  to  forget  that  they  are  in 
the  course  of  the  whirlwinds  (cyclones). 
"The  Lord  hath  his  way  in  the  whirlwind  and 
the  storm,  and  the  clouds  are  the  dust  of  his 
feet."  In  Oklahoma,  towns  have  been  almost 
-wept  out  of  existence  by  cyclones — God'- 
whirlwinds.  There  is  no  building  that  a  whirl 
wind  cannot  hurl  from  its  foundation,  nor  tree 
so  firmly  rooted,  but  what  it  must  succumb  to 
its  power  when  once  in  its  embrace.  At  the 
very  moment  when  people  are  saying,  "Peace 
and  safety,"  these  monsters  of  the  plains  swoop 
down  upon  them  and  devastate  everything  in 
their  course.  Stories  are  told  of  happenings 
in  their  wake  that  are  almost  incredible.  \Ye 
have  heard  of  their  driving  a  board  endwi-i- 
through  a  house,  and  sucking  the  water  out  of 
a  well.  The  destruction  that  follows  their 
trail  is  similar  to  that  of  an  earthquake.  In 


GOD'S  Jrnr.MKXTS  IN  THE  KAKTH       251 

cities  fire  breaks  out  and  the  people  are  left 
homeless  and  starving. 

EARTHQUAKES   IN   DIVERS   PLACES 

As  the  Gentile  age  draws  to  close,  ca 
lamities  will  come  thick  and  fast  in  different 
parts  of  the  earth  at  the  same  time.  Famines 
will  follow  and  it  will  then  be  impossible  to 
render  assistance  to  the  suffering  and  the  dy 
ing.  It  was  an  easy  matter  for  the  people 
of  the  United  States  to  come  to  the  relief  of 
those  who  were  rendered  destitute  by  the  earth 
quake  calamity  on  the  Pacific  Coast,  but  let  a 
number  of  such ,  disasters,  and  even  greater, 
come  at  once,  and  one  can  readily  see  what  the 
results  will  be.  Should  London,  New  York, 
Chicago  and  St.  Petersburg  receive  shocks  in 
rapid  succession,  or  all  at  the  same  time,  all 
the  governmental  powers  of  the  globe  would 
be  paralyzed,  military  forces  put  to  confusion, 
and  mutiny,  bloodshed  and  anarchy,  would  fol 
low  without  restraint.  There  will  be  no  such 
thing  as  law  and  order  when  the  thirst  for 
blood  in  human  beings  is  inflamed  by  want, 
starvation  and  revenge.  The  walls  of  asy 
lums,  jails  and  penitentiaries  will  be.  shaken 
down,  and  hundreds  and  thousands  of  lunatics 


252     TKI  in   STRANGER  THAN   KICTION 

and  criminals  allowed  to  roam  the  country, 
adding  to  the  awful  horrors  those  of  unbridled 
passion  and  violence. 

Let  the  reins  of  the  English  government  he- 
loosened  in  London  alone  and  nearly  seven 
millions  of  people  turned  loose  to  the  ravages 
of  famine  and  pestilence  and  you  will  have  a 
state  of  affairs  inconceivable  in  the  mind  of 
man,  and  too  horrihle  to  depict  by  word  or  pen. 
Ports  would  he  captured,  vessels  sei/ed.  and 
all  communications  with  other  nations  cut  off. 
Should  the  laboring  class  of  England  once  gain 
the  ascendency  there  would  be  volleys  of  pent 
up  wrath  and  revenge  that  would  burst  forth, 
like  the  lava  from  the  crater  of  a  volcano. 
against  the  aristocracy,  under  whose  tyran 
nical  rule  they  have  been  kept  in  ignorance. 
poverty  and  wretchedness  for  centuries  past. 
Records  would  be  destroyed,  property  >ei/ed. 
and  men  of  title  slain. 

.  It  would  be  a  question  of  only  a  little  time 
when  the  whole  island  would  he  in  the  embrace 
of  a  famine,  millions  of  dead  bodies  would  be 
piled  up  without  burial,  while  a  deadly  pesti 
lential  atmosphere  would  follow,  and  it  would 
be  impossible  for  any  one  to  survive. 

\Ve  are  on  the  verge  of  something  more 


O 
G 


J54     TRUTH  STKA.\<;KK  THAN  FICTION 

dreadful  than  has  ever  been  knuwn  since  the 
foundation  of  the  world.  Infidelity  is  rapidly 
increasing  and  men  are  sinning  against  great 
er  light  than  ever  before.  The  spirit  of  anti 
christ  is  everywhere  rearing  its  head  in  haugh 
tiness  and  rebellion  against  God.  His  word  is 
trampled  under  foot  and  scientific  reasons  giv 
en  by  the  worldly  wise  for  everything  that  is 
coming  to  pass.  He  will  not  endure  this  state 
of  things  much  longer,  and  suddenly,  when  i 
pie  are  least  expecting  it,  His  strokes  will  fall 
upon  them. 

TRIBULATION   ON   THE   JEWS 

Jesus  said  to. the  Jews,  "Behold,  your  house 
is  left  unto  you  desolate."  Has  not  this  de 
nunciation  been  fearfully  fulfilled? 

"Never  was  a  narrative  more  full  of  horrors, 
frenzies,  unspeakable  degredations  and  overwhelming 
miseries  than  is  the  siege  of  Jerusalem.  Never  ua> 
any  prophecy  more  closely,  more  terribly,  more  over 
whelmingly  fulfilled  than  this  of  t'hri-t's.  The  men 
going  about  in  the  disguise  of  women  with  swonls 
concealed  under  their  gay  robes;  the  rival  outrages 
and  infamies  of  John  and  Simon  ;  the  prie-t-  struck  by 
darts  from  the  upper  court  of  the  temple  and  falling 
slain  by  their  sacrifices ;  the  blood  of  all  sorts  of  dead 
carcasses — priests,  strangers,  profane  --landing  in 
lakes  in  the  holy  courts  the  corpses  themselves  lying 


GOD'S  JUDGMENTS  ix  THE  EARTH      255 

in  piles  and  mounds  on  the  very  altar  slopes ;  the  fires 
feeding  luxuriously  on  cedar  work  overlaid  with  gold ; 
friend  and  foe  trampled  to  death  on  the  gleaming 
Mosiac's,  promiscuous  carnage;  priests  swollen  with 
hunger,  leaping  madly  into  the  devouring  flames  till 
at  last  those  flames  had  done  their  work,  and  what 
had  been  the  temple  at  Jerusalem  the  beautiful  and 
holy  house  of  God,  was  a  heap  of  ghastly  ruins  where 
the  burning  embers  were  half  slaked  in  pools  of 
gore." — FARRAR'S  LIFE  OF  CHRIST. 

Jesus  and  His  disciples  foretold  the  de 
struction  of  Jerusalem,  but  there  was  only  an 
occasional  one  who  would  listen.  For  the 
most  part  the  people  went  on,  hardened  in  their 
infidelity,  and  as  stupid  and  indifferent  as 
beasts  about  the  fearful  calamities  that  were 
about  to  fall  upon  them,  and  it"  is  just  so  today. 
The  fallen  preachers  are  doing  all  in  their  pow 
er  to  ease  the  consciences  of  their  self-indul 
gent,  pleasure-seeking,  money-loving  congre 
gations.  God's  wrath  will  soon  burst  upon 
them  with  all  the  horrors  depicted  in  the  pages 
of  sacred  and  profane  history,  and  even  worse, 
for  Jesus  says  in  reference  to  the  end  of  the 
Gentile  age,  that  there  will  be  a  time  of  "great 
tribulation,  such  as  was  not  since  the  begin 
ning  of  the  world  to  this  time,  no,  nor  ever 
shall  be." 


256    TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

Another  picture  of  the  unutterable  horrors 
of  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  might  be  re 
lated  here : 

"And  did  not  all  the  righteous  blood  shed  upon 
the  earth  since  the  days  of  Abel  come  upon  that  gen 
eration? — to  see  their  fellows  crucified  in  jest  'some 
one  way  and  some  another,'  till  'room  was  wanting  for 
the  crosses  and  crosses  for  the  carcasses?' — to  ex 
perience  the  'deep  silence'  and  the  kind  of  deadly  night 
which  seized  upon  the  city  in  the  intervals  of  rage?— 
to  see  600,000  dead  bodies  carried  to  the  gates? — to 
see  friends  fighting  madly  for  grass  and  nettles,  and 
the  refuse  of  the  drains? — to  see  the  bloody  zealots 
'gasping  for  want,  and  stumbling  and  staggering  along 
like  mad  dogs?' — to  hear  the  horrid  tale  of  the  miser 
able  mother,  who,  in  the  pangs  of  famine,  had  de 
voured  her  own  child? — to  be  sold  as  slaves  in  such 
multitudes  that  at  last  none  would  buy  them? — to  see 
the  streets  running  with  blood,  and  the  'fire  of  burning 
houses  quenched  in  the  blood  of  their  defenders?' — 
to  have  their  young  sons  sold  in  hundreds,  or  exposed 
in  the  amphitheaters  to  the  gladiator  or  the  fury  of 
the  lion,  until  at  last  'since  the  people  were  now  slain, 
the  Holy  House  burned  down,  and  the  city  in  flames, 
there  was  nothing  further  left  for  the  enemy  to  do?'  " 
— FARRAR'S  LIFE  OF  CHRIST. 

Reader,  this  is  only  a  picture  that  prefig 
ures  the  awful  horrors  of  the  Gentile  judg 
ments  that  will  break  upon  the  world  after 


GOD'S  JUDGMENTS  IN  THE  EARTH      257 

Christ  takes  His  blood-washed    Bride    away. 
The  blood  of  millions  of  martyrs    must    be 
avenged  on  the  Gentile  nations.     God's  saints 
have  never  received  more  terrible  treatment 
from  the  hands  of  the  Jews  than  they  have 
from  the  Gentiles.  The  wicked  Nero,  the  agents 
of  the  Inquisition,  and  all  other  persecutors  of 
God's  children  must  suffer  fearful  retribution. 
John,  in  Revelation  6:9-10,  says,  "I  saw  under 
the  altar  the  souls  of  them  that  were  slain  for 
the  word  of  God,  and  for  the  testimony  which 
they  held:  And  they  cried  with  a  loud  voice, 
saying,  How  long,  O  Lord,  holy  and  true,  dost 
thou  not  judge  and  avenge  our  blood  on  them 
that  dwell  on  the  earth?"     We  see  plainly  by 
this  and  many  other  scriptures  that  the  blood 
of  these  martyrs  will  be  avenged  on  the  Gen 
tile  nations.     There  have  been  many  millions 
of  these  martyrs  who  have  been  tortured  and 
put  to  death  in  every  conceivable  way.     God 
says  that  once  more  He  will  shake  the  heavens 
and  the  earth  and  all  the  nations.     This  will 
not  be  done  altogether  through  the  operations 
of  wars,  but  by  earthquakes.     Then  will  bs 
fulfilled  the  prophecy,  "For  when  they  shall 
say,  Peace  and  safety ;  then  sudden  destruction 

TRUTH — 17. 


258    TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

cometh  upon  them,    *    *    and  they  shall  not 
escape"  (i  Thess.  5:3). 

"IN  SUCH  AN  HOUR  AS  YE  THINK  NOT" 

It  is  reported  that  the  earthquake  at  San 
Francisco  took  place  at  5:15  a.  m.,  at  the  very 
hour  when  nearly  the  whole  city  was  asleep. 
No  one  was  expecting  any  trouble  when  that 
terrific  shock  came,  lasting  about  three  min 
utes,  which  almost  stopped  the  heart  pulsations 
of  hundreds  of  thousands  of  people.  \Ye  are 
told  that  no  sensation  is  more  sickening  or  hor 
rifying  than  that  produced  by  an  earthquake. 
Those  who  have  felt  the  shocks  say  there  are 
no  words  adequate  to  describe  it.  People  go 
insane  from  its  effects.  One  of  the  awful  fea 
tures  of  the  tribulation  will  be  the  fact  that  a 
great  per  cent,  of  the  population  will  be  fren 
zied  with  suffering  and  fear.  The  Bible  plainly 
tells  us  that  men  will  seek  death  and  shall  not 
find  it,  and  in  their  efforts  to  escape  God's 
wrath,  will  call  for  the  rocks  and  hills  to  fall 
on  them  and  hide  them  from  His  presence. 
This  shows  how  men  will  suffer  on  account  of 
evil  consciences  and  in  trying  to  escape  one  ca 
lamity  they  will  meet  another. 

The  prophet  Amos,  in  describing  the  effects 


GOD'S  JUDGMENTS  IN  THE  EARTH     259 

of  an  earthquake,  says,  it  will  be,  "as  if  a  man 
did  flee  from  a  lion,  and  a  bear  met  him;  or 
went  into  the  house,  and  leaned  his  hand  on 
the  wall,  and  a  serpent  bit  him."  This  prophet 
also  says  that  they  will  wander  from  city  to 
city  in  search  of  water  to  drink  and  will  not  be 
satisfied,  and  yet  they  will  not  return  unto  the 
Lord.  People  look  upon  the  Pacific  Coast  dis 
aster  as  something  that  simply  happened  by 
chance,  and  are  trying  to  give  scientific  reasons 
for  its  occurrence ;  they  are  determined  to  leave 
God  out  of  the  affair,  contrary  to  His  word, 
which  says,  "Shall  a  trumpet  be  blown  in  the 
city,  and  the  people  not  be  afraid?  *  *  and 
the  Lord  hath  not  done  it?" 

It  is  a  known  fact  that  God  has  always  had 
a  people  on  the  earth  to  whom  He  could  reveal 
His  secrets.  He  occasionally  finds  a  chosen 
vessel  who  will  keep  His  commandments  and 
do  His  will  at  any  cost;  to  such  a  one  He  re 
veals  the  hidden  mysteries  of  grace  and  shows 
him  things  to  come.  "Surely  the  Lord  God 
will  do  nothing,  but  he  revealeth  his  secrets 
unto  his  servants  the  prophets."  God  has  used 
the  Pacific  Coast  calamity  to  open  His  word  to 
1 1  is  true  people. 


CHAPTER  X  i  1 1 
TORNADOES  AND  FLOODS 

On  March  2ist,  1913,  a  terrific  storm,  with 
startling  suddenness  started  in  Northern  Tex 
as,  and  traveled  diagonally  across  the  country, 
bisecting  the  Mississippi  Valley  moving  in  a 
northerly  direction  across  Ohio  into  the  regions 
of  the  great  lakes. 

In  the  first  stages  of  the  storm,  millions  of 
dollars  worth  of  property  were  destroyed  and 
irany  lives  lost.  Alabama  seems  to  have  been 
the  worst  stricken. 

Telegraphic  communication  was  cut  off, 
and  in  some  instances  5,000  mile  detours  were 
made  to  connect  Chicago  with  New  York. 
There  were  200  trunk  wires  that  were  lost. 

The  wind,  combined  with  rain,  sleet  and 
hail,  was  responsible  for  the  situation.  For 
five  hours  New  York  labored  to  get  in  touch 
with  the  stricken  area,  then  made  a  sweep 
touching  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  the  Eastern 
Rockies  and  the  Canadian  border  line. 

nif-wing  eitfhty-dght    miles  an   hour   the 

in  -truck  \\Ysu-rn   NV\v  York,  killing  two 


TORNADOES  AND  FLOODS  261 

persons  and  imperiling  the    lives    of    many 
others. 

One  hundred  patients  at  the  state  hospital 
at  Utica  narrowly  escaped  death  while  being 
hurried  into  the  building  when  the  storm  struck 
the  city  with  the  force  of  a  tornado.  Two 
trees  on  the  lawn  where  the  patients  had  been 
taking  an  airing,  were  blown  down,  and  sev 
eral  inmates  were  cut  by  flying  glass  when  the 
windows  were  broken.  An  attendant  was  in 
jured  by  a  plank  blown  from  a  building  near  by. 
The  gale  plowed  a  path  200  feet  wide  through 
the  hospital  grounds  and  a  portion  of  the  city, 
causing  much  damage. 

Lower  Peach  Tree,  Alabama,  was  prac 
tically  wiped  out.  At  Gibbsland  houses  were 
lifted  from  their  foundations  and  carried 
through  the  air  several  hundred  yards  and 
dropped  just  outside  the  town  limits.  In  Mur- 
freesboro  nearly  every  building  in  the  public 
square  was  leveled.  A  Presbyterian  church 
was  wrecked,  and  the  corner  of  the  court  house 
unroofed.  Conductors  on  trains  reported  that 
houses  were  literally  carried  by  the  wind  across 
the  tracks. 

Two  heroic  young  women  telephone  oper- 
atros,  Mabel  Hill  and  Minnie  Year  wood,  stayed 


3 
D 


55 
O 

H 
U 


C/5 

ai 

- 
x 


TORNADOES  AND  FLOODS  263 

at  their  post  of  duty,  regardless  of  the  flying 
timbers  that  broke  the  windows  of  the  building 
they  occupied,  and  signaled  fire  companies  and 
aroused  citizens  from  their  beds,  "then  girl- 
like,  when  it  was  over  broke  down  and  cried." 

In  Madison  County,  Tennessee,  the  storm 
left  a  path  of  destruction  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
wide,  killing  people  and  blowing  down  many 
houses  and  barns. 

Everywhere  churches  and  school  houses 
were  damaged.  The  region  between  Hoxie, 
Black  Rock  and  Walnut  Ridge,  Arkansas,  was 
strewn  with  wreckage  of  every  description.  In 
many  instances  the  only  remaining  evidences 
of  houses  were  what  was  left  of  bed  quilts, 
sheets  and  clothing  blowing  from  trees  that 
withstood  the  force  of  the  gale. 

A  railroad  station  at  Minturn  was  blown 
away,  as  was  the  station  at  Hoxie.  In  all  of 
these  towns  and  cities,  lives  were  lost.  In  one 
town  as  many  as  thirty-nine  persons  were 
known  to  have  been  killed.  One  of  the  pecul 
iar  features  of  the  storm  was  that  it  found 
most  people  asleep.  For  days  it  was  almost 
impossible  to  estimate  the  loss. 

At  Memphis  the  government  steamer  Vul 
can  was  sunk  in  forty  feet  of  water. 


j<>4     TKI  in   STRA.XCMR  THAN  FICTION 

Damage  estimated  at  a  million  dollars  re 
sulted  from  the  tornado  in  Indiana.  A  num 
ber  of  people  were  killed  and  injured  from  liv 
ing  debris.  "Churches  suffered  particularly 
fnnn  the  gale.  At  Tipton  the  Methodist 
church  was  unroofed.  The  chimney  <>t  the 
Holy  Angels  Church  at  Indianapolis  was  top 
pled  over  and  crashed  through  the  roof  onto 
an  altar  elaborately  decorated  for  Easter.  The 
Methodist  church  at  Harmony  and  three 
churches  at  Franklin  were  demolished." 

In  nearly  every  account  given  of  the  de 
struction  in  the  wake  of  the  tornado  special 
mention  is  made  of  churches  that  were  demol 
ished.  It  was  just  preceding  Easter  when 
elaborate  preparations  were  being  made  for 
the  services.  The  practices  in  the  modern 
churches  in  connection  with  Easter  are  simply 
idolatry.  Women  and  men  dress  in  their  gay 
est  apparel,  and  Easter  Sunday  at  the  church 
is  a  veritable  Vanity  Fair. 

New  bonnets,  silks,  satins  and  flashing 
gems,  everywhere  greet  the  eye.  The  pastor 
is  closed  in  with  a  bank  of  flowers  while  inside 

* 

of  hearts  are  ghastly  skeletons,  whitened  sep- 
ulchers,  full  of  dead  men's  bones. 

The  pastor  preached  his  little  Easter  ser- 


TORNADOES  AND  FLOODS  265 

monette,  comparing  the  resurrection  life  to 
April  flowers,  and  the  whole  proceedings  are 
an  abomination  in  God's  sight,  a  travesty  on  the 
religion  of  the  Bible.  Is  it  any  wonder  that 
the  steepled  houses  where  such  performances 
are  carried  on  under  the  name  of  religion  are 
swept  away  by  the  tornadoes  of  God's  wrath? 

In  the  streets  of  Indianapolis  a  large  force 
of  men  worked  all  day  removing  fallen  trees, 
while  policemen  guarded  the  dangerous  places 
in  the  down-town  district.  With  houses  un 
roofed  and  windows  broken  the  cold  wave  fol 
lowing  the  storm  caused  much  suffering.  The 
storm  swept  some  of  the  streets  with  as  much 
impunity  as  though  they  were  western  plains. 
An  86-mile  gale  hurled  pedestrians  to  the  street 
and  injured  many  with  flying  debris. 

At  Louisville  a  farmer  had  his  team  and 
wagon  blown  into  an  adjoining  field,  but  he 
himself  escaped  without  injury.  . 

Sixty  persons  in  the  Covington,  Kentucky 
jail  were  bounced  from  their  cots  when  light 
ning  struck  the  prison  and  hurled  a  fifteen  foot 
chimney  to  the  ground.  The  iron  cells  and 
cots  made  good  conductors  for  the  lightning 
and  the  prisoners  were  in  a  panic. 

At  Jefferson,  Texas   the  wind  blew  two 


266    TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

minutes  at  the  rate  of  120  miles  an  hour.  A 
woman  was  killed  and  many  houses  ruined  at 
Winona,  Texas. 

Ohio  suffered  greatly  from  the  storm.  At 
the  county  infirmary  at  Tiffin  a  smoke-stack 
was  blown  down  and  tottering  walls  made  res 
cue  impossible.  A  brick  building  was  blown 
over  on  which  several  men  were  working.  The 
contractor  was  killed  and  others  badly  injured. 

Two  fishing  smacks  disappeared  on  San- 
dusky  Bay  that  were  sighted  three  miles  off 
from  shore  in  the  morning.  A  boat  went 
ashore  near  Danbury,  Ohio  and  was  broken 
to  pieces. 

In  Western  Pennsylvania  several  houses 
were  wrecked  and  a  number  of  churches  dam 
aged. 

Following  the  fearful  tornado  rain  poured 
down  for  four  days,  and  had  it  not  been  for 
God's  promise  that  He  would  not  totally  de 
stroy  the  world  with  a  flood  many  would  have 
thought  that  a  repetition  of  the  days  of  Noah 
was  upon  us,  but  the  bow  of  promise  gave  hope 
that  .God  would  stay  His  hand  and  spare  the 
world  another  deluge. 

Rivers  and  lakes  in  the  North  and  Middle 
West  reached  a  high  water  mark  that  had 


TORNADOES  AND  FLOODS  267 

never  been  known  before.  It  was  declared 
that  it  was  the  greatest  flood  since  the  days  of 
Noah. 

March  25th,  Grand  Reservoir  in  Mercer 
County,  Ohio,  the  largest  artificial  body  of 
water  in  the  world,  broke  its  dikes  and  caused 
a  flood  at  Dayton.  Unofficial  reports  of  the 
dead  and  dying  were  all  the  way  from  500  to 
10,000  in  and  about  Dayton.  Later,  it  was 
found  that  many  who  were  missing  were  res 
cued  from  tops  of  buildings  and  other  places 
where  they  were  huddled  together  like  animals. 

The  water  was  so  high  the  city  was  left  in 
total  darkness  and  practically  every  business 
house  was  flooded  to  the  second  floor.  The 
city  of  Celina,  Mercer  County,  situated  on  the 
south  of  the  reservoir,  was  not  heard  of  for 
some  time  after  the  devastating  waters  broke 
loose  in  their  frenzy  of  destruction.  It  was 
supposed  that  this  town  of  30,000  inhabitants 
was  totally  destroyed. 

St.  Mary's  on  the  north  bank  of  the  reser 
voir  also  remained  rn  silence. 

In  the  history  of  the  world,  says  the  New 
York  World,  there  never  was  a  flogd  of  greater 
extent,  with  the  exception  perhaps  of  the  pre 
historic  deluge  of  Noah's  time.  Wind  and 


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TORNADOES  AND  FLOODS  269 

rainstorms  of  terrific  violence  covered  vast 
areas  of  the  middle  West  from  the  Mis 
souri  River  to  the  Allegheny  Mountains,  reach 
ing  as  far  north  as  Ontario  and  below  South 
ern  Illinois.  Ohio,  Indiana  and  parts  of  Illinois 
and  Missouri,  Nebraska,  Iowa  and  Kansas, 
suffered  most  severely. 

Hamilton,  Dayton,  Delaware,  Middletown, 
Columbus  and  Youngstown,  presented  partic 
ularly  pitiable  spectacles.  In  these  cities  the 
fatalities  and  property  loss  were  heavy. 

Frantic  appeals  came  from  the  Mayors  of 
these  cities,  especially  Dayton,  for  aid,  and  the 
Federal  and  State  authorities,  as  well  as  the 
Red  Cross  Society,  took  hurried  measures  for 
relief. 

Cincinnati  experienced  a  cloudburst  early 
on  the  morning  of  the  25th  which  started  the 
Ohio  River  to  rising  rapidly.  Soon  many  of  the 
streets  were  flooded.  Families  in  the  lowlands 
wei\-  warned  before  the  waters  reached  them. 

A  big  dam  a  short  distance  from  Akron, 
Ohio  burst  and  horsemen  were  sent  through 
out  the  valley  to  warn  the  populace  of  their 
danger.  Hundreds  fled  to  higher  ground. 

Sweeping  up  the  Ohio  Valley  from  the 
west,  the  third  storm  in  ten  days  devastated 


2/o    TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

different  sections  between  Louisville  and  Cin 
cinnati  in  Kentucky,  and  extensive  districts  in 
Illinois,  Indiana  and  Southwestern  Ohio.  A 
number  of  persons  were  reported  killed  at  Ma- 
kanda,  Illinois.  At  Lima,  Ohio,  flooded  by 
the  Ottawa  River,  ten  miles  of  trains  were  held 
up  by  washouts  at  Middlepoint. 

'  At  Springfield,  Ohio,  Mad  River  and  Buck  Creek 
both  out  of  their  banks  and  several  houses  flooded. 
LaRue  inundated.  Many  reported  homeless  and  much 
suffering  among  poor  classes. 

Ft.  Wayne,  Indiana, — St.  Joseph,  Maumee  and 
St.  Mary's  Rivers  on  rampage.  Towns  without 
light  and  water  famine  threatened. 

Marion,  Indiana, — 500  persons  forced  to  flee  for 
their  lives. 

Ellwood,  Indiana, — 300  persons  homeless. 

St.  Louis, — Many  families  forced  to  leave  their 
homes  by  the  Des  Peres  River. 

Youngstown,  Ohio, — 14,000  men  are  idle  by  rea 
son  of  closing  down  of  factories  and  mills. 

Newark,  Ohio, — Mar.  25th.  Special  Despatch  to 
Commercial  Tribune. 

Waters  from  the  North  Fork  and  the  South  Fork 
of  the  Licking  River  are  running  through  the  resi 
dential  part  of  the  city.  Several  hundred  people  have 
been  rescued  5y  boats  from  their  homes.  The  police 
department  has  ordered  every  one  to  vacate  the  lower 


TORNADOES  AND  FLOODS  271 

part  of  the  city  at  once.  The  flood-gates  of  Buckeye 
Lake  nine  miles  from  this  city  have  been  thrown  open 
because  the  water  was  in  danger  of  breaking  through 
the  dikes.  Were  the  dikes  to  give  way  a  sad  story 
would  be  told  at  Newark. 

All  the  B.  &  O.  trains  operating  on  the  Sandusky 
division  have  been  withdrawn.  The  city  of  Mt.  Ver- 
non  on  the  B.  &  O.  is  shut  off  tonight  without  light  or 
water  supply. 

The  water  is  still  rising  lapidly.  The  streets  are 
crowded  with  people  who  are  not  satisfied  in  the  face 
of  impending  disaster  to  go  to  bed. 

On  the  25th  of  March  at  Columbus,  Ohio, 
half  a  hundred  row  and  motor  boats  were  used 
to  carry  supplies  through  the  streets  to  the  suf 
ferers. 

It  is  impossible  to  go  into  details  and  de 
scribe  the  frightful  scenes  of  suffering  in  the 
flooded  district.  We  can  touch  on  only  a  few 
points  and  merely  give  the  reader  some  mate 
rial  for  thought. 

The  Governor  ordered  out  the  troops  and 
the  flooded  district  was  put  under  marshal  law. 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  telegram  sent 
by  Governor  Cox  to  the  Chairman  of  the  Red 
Cross  Society  at  Washington. 

Columbus,  March  25th. 

"Advices  are  that  the  situation  at  Dayton  are  very 


272     TRUTH  STRANCF.K  THAN  FICTION 

critical.  More  than  half  the  city  is  inundated  from  a 
depth  of  five  to  nine  feet.  The  entire  down  town 
commercial  district  is  under  water.  At  this  time  no 
means  of  knowing  how  many  are  lost. 

Piqua,  Sidney,  Hamilton  and  Middletown,  are 
also  sadly  in  need.  The  maximum  of  our  military 
strength  is  being  used  in  different  parts  of  the  state. 
\\  o  have  appeals  from  some  parts  by  telephone  to  the 
effect  that  women  and  children  are  in  the  second  story 
of  their  homes.  Boats  are  being  rushed  overland 
by  wagon,  as  railroad  traffic  in  flooded  districts  is 
practically  suspended.  We  greatly  appreciate  your  in 
terest  and  co-operation.  James-  M.  Cox, 

Governor. 

A  bill  appropriating  $250,000  for  the  re 
lief  of  the  sufferers  was  sent  to  the  legislature. 
Gov.  Cox  sent  appeals  for  aid  to  the  governors 
of  all  the  border  states  of  Ohio,  including 
Pennsylvania,  West  Virginia,  Michigan,  Indi 
ana  and  Kentucky. 

Thousands  of  head  of  livestock  perished  in 
the  flood.  Hundreds  of  persons  who  took  ref 
uge  in  a  school  house  were  soon  surrounded 
by  the  flood.  In  their  frantic  appeal  for  help 
they  kept  ringing  the  bell,  but  the  current  \\a- 
too  swift  for  them  to  be  reached,  even  with 
boats. 

Ten  thousand  were  homeless  at  Columbus 


TORNADOES  AND  FLOODS  273 

alone.  The  city  and  more  than  a  half  dozen 
other  towns  were  cut  off  from  the  world.  At 
a  small  town  northeast  of  Dayton  twenty-three 
bodies  were  seen  sweeping  through  in  the  river. 
A  telephone  message  from  Dayton  to  Gov.  Cox 
said  30,000  people  in  that  city  were  homeless, 
and  that  four  suburbs,  including  Edmont, 
North  Dayton,  Riverdale,  and  Dayton  View, 
were  inundated. 

A  despatch  from  Hamilton  stated  that  L. 
R.  Davis  residing  on  Dayton  street,  witnessed 
a  most  pathetic  tragedy  at  Water  street  and 
the  C.  H.  &  D.  railroad  last  night.  A  man 
standing  in  front  of  his  home,  crazed  at  the 
sight  of  the  fast  encroaching  waters,  deliber 
ately  turned  upon  his  wife  and  shot  her 
through  the  temple.  With  a  wild  cry  the  des 
perate  man  then  leveled  a  gun  at  his  own  head 
and  sent  a  bullet  through  his  brain.  His  body 
fell  across  that  of  his  wife. 

A  special  .despatch  to  the  Tribune  from 
Delaware,  Ohio,  reads  as  follows:  * 

Scenes  of  indescribable  suffering  are  enacted  in 
this  town  tonight  and  untold  horrors  constantly  offend 
the  eye.  The  heart  of  the  city  is  flooded  with  ten 
feet  of  water,  carrying  death  and  destruction  in  its 
wake.  Two  hundred  homes  are  swept  away  and  mon- 
TRUTH— 18. 


O 

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u 


- 


TORNADOES  AND  FLOODS  275 

etary  losses  will  run  into  millions.  The  raging 
waters  make  rescue  work  almost  impossible,  and  all 
efforts  to  count  the  dead  and  succor  the  living  go  for 
naught. 

Message  from  Hamilton,  Ohio,  said: 

The  cries  of  women  and  children  as  they  faced 
inevitable  death,  and  the  frantic,  but  unsuccessful 
efforts  of  husbands  and  fathers  to  rescue  loved  ones, 
present  a  scene  that  will  go  down  in  the  history  of 
the  world's  catastrophes  as  one  of  the  worst  on  record. 
Thrilling  stories  were  told  how  families  were  sep 
arated,  some  fortunate  enough  to  be  saved  while 
others  were  left  to  their  doom.  In  one  case  a  four 
teen  year  old  girl  was  the  only  one  out  of  a  family 
of  six  to  be  saved,  the  other  five  being  caught  in  the 
house  as  it  was  overturned,  and  buried  beneath  it. 
Emma  Theobold,  the  girl  that  was  saved,  was  forced 
to  hang  on  a  tree  for  four  hours  until  she  was  found 
by  a  patrolman  of  the  Cincinnati  police  department. 
The  girl  was  in  a  state  of  exhaustion  and  her  hands 
were  cut  through  to  the  bone  from  clinging  in  the  tree. 
She  fainted  after  being  rescued,  but  was  soon  revived. 

Many  persons  went  to  their  death  in  plain  view  of 
the  more  fortunate  ones,  when  their  houses,  which 
were  floating,  would  crumble  and  the  occupants  be 
hurled  into  the  water.  In  many  houses  the  families 
would  move  to  the  upper  floor  and  even  to  the  roof, 
only  to  have  the  water  follow  them  at  the  rate 
of  three  to  four  feet  an  hour,  and  finally 
drive  them  from  the  highest  point  they  could  reach. 


276    TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

James  Weaver  and  his  wife  residing  on  Ludlow 
avenue  had  a  close  call  from  death.  As  the  water  was 
just  beginning  to  creep  up  to  the  top  floor  of  their 
home  they  were  taken  out.  Weaver  said  that  he  saw 
a  man  swimming  in  Ludlow  street  towing  a  large  dry- 
goods  box  on  which  sat  his  wife. 

Roads  leading  into  Hamilton  presented  a  sad  ap 
pearance.  Buggies  and  farm  wagons  were  lined  up 
for  miles  and  the  flood  victims  gathered  in  little  crowds 
to  discuss  their  fate  and  the  remote  chances  of  saving 
any  of  their  property.  Worry  was  written  on  the 
faces  of  many  whose  entire  families  were  not  ac 
counted  for. 

East  Hamilton  and  Peck's  Addition  suffered  as 
much  as  Hamilton  itself,  more  than  1,500  being  ren 
dered  homeless  in  the  former  place  while  in  the  latter 
water  covered  everything. 

Bellefontaine,  O.,  March  25th — More  than  2,000 
acres  of  water  are  pouring  against  the  banks  of  the 
Lewistown  reservoir,  fifteen  miles  from  here,  and  if 
the  increasing  flood  should  burst  the  banks  the  lives 
of  every  inhabitant  of  the  lower  Miami  Valley  would 
be  imperiled. 

Sheriff  Cook  and  deputies  have  vainly  tried  all 
day  to  reach  the  Pennsylvania  train  which  has  been 
marooned  nearly  twenty-four  hours  on  the  banks  of 
the  Mad  River,  opposite  West  Liberty,  Ohio.  Twenty 
passengers  waded  to  safety  from  the  coach  which  fell 
ir.to  the  river 

Most  of  the  passengers  in  the  train  are  thought 
to  be  from  Chicago. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

CALAMITY,  A  REBUKE  TO  PRESUMPTION 
AND  PRIDE 

DESTRUCTION  OF  VANIMAN^S  AIRSHIP 

One  calamity  after  another  comes,  and  hu 
man  lives  are  sacrificed  because  there  are  those 
who  refuse  to  take  warning.  Disasters  on  sea 
and  land  are  ever  increasing,  but  there  seems 
to  be  nothing  to  check  the  presumption  and  pas 
sions  of  men.  God  speaks,  but  there  are  none 
to  heed  His  voice.  The  world,  like  a  merry- 
go-round,  moves  on,  holding  people  under  the 
spell  and  charm  of  sin,  unconscious  of  the  doom 
that  awaits  them. 

Men  have  captured  the  elements  and  made 
them  subserve  their  purposes,  but  withal  they 
know  not  their  Creator  and  persist  in  trying 
to  become  gods  themselves.  There  never  was 
an  age  when  human  beings  were  more  defiant 
of  God's  laws.  With  all  the  scientific  inven 
tions  and  achievements  they  have  forgotten 
that  He  has  said,  "Without  me,  ye  can  do  noth 
ing."  God  alone  has  creative  power.  John 
1 13  says  of  Christ,  "Without  him  was  not  any 
thing  made  that  was  made."  But  man  has 


278    TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

been  given  the  power  to  utilize  nlatural  forces 
in  his  own  service.  Marvelous  inventions 
have  been  thrust  upon  the  world,  where  sin 
abounds  and  the  creature  is  worshiped  rather 
than  the  Creator.  "God  is  a  spirit :  and  they 
that  worship  him  must  worship  him  in  spirit 
and  in  truth"  (John  4:24).  The  trend  is  ever 
toward  materialism.  That  which  cannot  be 
seen  with  the  natural  eye  is  ignored.  Spirit 
ual  blindness  is  everywhere  in  evidence.  Scarce 
ly  any  one  attempts  to  look  through  the  eye  of 
faith,  and  without  faith  it  is  impossible  to 
please  God. 

To  live  in  the  Spirit  there  must  be  a  con 
stant  battle  to  keep  the  body  under.  It  is  easy 
to  forget  that  all  flesh  is  as  grass.  Man  is 
prone  to  rely  upon  his  own  resources.  In  the 
marvelous  achievements  that  are  being  made 
self  is  exalted  and  God  is  robbed  of  His  glory. 
Hence,  it  becomes  necessary  that  calamities 
come  as  a  rebuke  to  presumption  and  pride. 
There  are  those  who  would  vaunt  themselves 
beyond  measure  and  set  themselves  up  as  gods 
to  be  worshiped,  if  ever  and  anon  there  was  not 
a  blow  struck  that  shows  up  human  frailty  and 
weakness. 

The  Titanic  disaster  marvelously  illustrates 


CALAMITY,  A  REBUKE  279 

this  truth.  The  wonderfully  equipped  vessel, 
the  pride  of  Great  Britain,  demonstrating  the 
very  acme  of  human  skill  in  mechanical  engin 
eering,  was  blotted,  as  it  were,  out  of  existence 
by  a  single  stroke  from  the  Almighty,  to  teach 
men  the  first  commandment, — "Thou  shalt 
have  no  other  gods  before  me."  Danger  lies 
in  the  pathway  of  those  who  become  self-con 
fident  and  take  undue  glory  to  themselves  in 
the  work  of  their  own  hands.  I  Cor.  10:12 
says,  "Let  him  that  thinketh  he  standeth  take 
heed  lest  he  fall."  This  should  be  duly  heeded 
by  people  of  every  vocation  in  life.  When 
men  are  saying  peace  and  safety  then  sudden 
calamity  comes. 

A  certain  amount  of  self-confidence  is  nec 
essary,  but  there  is  a  limit,  and  to  go  beyond 
this  is  crossing  the  dead-line.  God's  rebukes 
are  fearful,  and  after  repeated  warnings,  He 
will  administer  the  final  stroke  that  will  hurl 
man  down  the  precipice  of  his  own  ambitions 
and  leave  him  a  mangled  Corpse  for  the  world 
to  look  upon  and  profit  by.  God  prospers  and 
protects  people  as  they  reverence  and  fear  Him. 
When  pride  and  presumption  play  their  part  on 
the  stage  of  human  life  tragedy  is  the  climax. 

The  destruction  of  the  dirigible  Akron  at 


280     Tkt'Tii    ST;<.\.\(,KR  THAN   FICTION 

Atlantic  City  on  July  2,  1912,  with  five  human 
lives,  is  one  of  the  disasters  that  lias 
shocked  the  civilized  world.  The  explosion  took 
place  2,000  feet  above  the  sea,  in 
early  morning,  and  was  witnessed  by  3,000 
people  on  shore.  The  Akron,  in  \\iiicli 
Mr.  Vaniman  hoped  to  cross  the  ocean,  was 
making  a  trial  trip,  but  when  all  was  going 
smoothly  an  explosion  occurred,  tearing  the 
gas  bag  into  bits.  The  car  tipped  and  fell 
straight  to  the  water  as  quickly  as  lead.  With 
it  went  Yuniman  and  his  men,  and  in  a  moment 
the  entire  exhibition  was  wiped  out,  all  the 
crew  being  killed  and  the  ship  utterly  de 
stroyed. 

Melvin  Vaniman  was  the  engineer  who 
accompanied  Walter  Wellman  in  his  attempt 
to  cross  the  Atlantic  in  the  dirigible  l>ull<«»n, 
America,  and  had  been  preparing  to  try  the 
s'inie  feat  on  his  own  account.  The  Akron 
was  a  balloon  of  his  own  design  on  which  hun 
dreds  of  thousands  of  dollars  had  been  spent, 
and  in  which  it  was  believed,  he  had  corrected 
the. mistakes  of  Wellman's  airship.  Day  after 
day  experiments  had  been  made  and  details 
perfected,  which  were  supposed  to  insure  suc 
cessful  flight. 


CALAMITY,  A  REBUKE  281 

It  was  a  bright  morning  with  merely  a 
mist  and  only  a  slight  wind  from  the  west. 
There  was  not  the  least  doubt  expressed  in  the 
stability  of  the  machine.  To  assist  in  launch 
ing  the  ship  the  authorities  of  Atlantic  City 
placed  the  fire  and  police  departments  at  the 
service  of  Mr.  Vaniman.  They  steered  her 
safely  out  of  the  shed  and  held  her  secure.  It 
was  a  beautiful  sight  as  she  rose  gracefully 
in  full  view  of  the  anxious  spectators.  The 
crowd  cheered  heartily  while  the  cream-col 
ored  vessel  reflected  the  sun's  rays. 

A  LAST  FAREWELL 

Mrs.  Vaniman  stood  waving  from  the 
porch  of  a  little  cottage  they  had  occupied 
since  her  husband  had  begun  his  experiments. 
But  only  a  few  moments  intervened  when  Mrs. 
Vaniman,  who  was  acquainted  with  every  de 
tail  of  the  ship's  construction,  saw  it  torn  to 
atoms  and  knew  her  husband  and  his  crew 
were  lost.  It  is  said  she  bore  it  bravely,  while 
the  wives  of  other  men  of  the  ill-fated  balloon 
were  frantic  with  grief.  No  doubt  Mrs.  Van 
iman  had  thought  much  upon  the  probability 
of  such  a  disaster  and  this  had  somewhat  pre 
pared  her  for  it.  Had  Melvin  Vaniman 
crossed  the  ocean  in  this  ship  his  name  would 


282     TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

have  gone  down  as  the  greatest  hero  and  in 
ventor  of  the  age.  But  God  did  not  see  fit  to 
confer  this  honor  upon  him. 

One  of  the  members  of  my  own  household 
saw  him  and  his  men  working  with  the  machine 
on  Sunday.  I  have  never  known  it  to  fail, 
that  when  people  disregard  the  day  Christ 
set  apart  for  rest  and  worship,  calamity 
of  some  kind  overtakes  them  sooner  or  later. 
Christ  rose  from  the  dead  on  the  first  day  of 
the  week.  In  spite  of  those  who  ignore  the 
Christian  Sabbath,  God  has  always  honored  it, 
and  always  will.  The  great  majority  of  people 
who  have  been  converted  have  found  Christ 
under  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel  on  the  first 
day  of  the  week.  In  the  New  Testament  di- 
pensation  it  is  the  Lord's  Day.  The  old  Jewish 
Sabbath,  with  its  rites  and  ceremonies  and 
bloody  sacrifices  has  gone.  Every  Jew  who  gets 
converted  keeps  Sunday  instead  of  Saturday. 
He  knows  he  is  done  with  the  works  of  the 
law  when  he  accepts  Christ. 

The  Titanic  was  struck  just  before  mid 
night  on  Sunday,  after  hundreds  had  thrown 
the  reins  loose  on  the  neck  of  sinful  indulgences 
in  the  desecration  of  God's  holy  day.  It  was 
another  fearful  rebuke  to  Sabbath-breakers. 


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jS4     TurTii   STKAXCKK  THAN   I:KTIOX 

Disasters  on  Sunday  trains  are  becoming  more 
numerous.  Sunday  steamboat  excursions  are 
continually  meeting  with  divine  disapproval. 
Human  lives  are  sacrificed  to  flood  and  ilame 
and  in  every  other  conceivable  manner,  simply 
because  men  refuse  to  honor  God  and  His 
w<  >rd. 

The  destruction  of  the  Akron  is  one  of  the 
greatest  tragedies  in  the  long  list  resulting 
from  the  attempt  to  navigate  the  air.  On  July 
5th,  three  days  later,  Thomas  Moore  dropped 
to  his  death  from  a  parachute  i,oco  feet 
in  the  air,  before  15,000  people  ,  who  had  gath 
ered  at  Hillside  Park,  Belleville,  X.  J. 
Mr.  Moore  was  one  of  the  best  balloonists  in 
the  United  States.  He  refused  to  use  his  life 
belt  and  when  warned  of  danger,  said, 

"l    WON'T    GO   TO    HEAVEN    TODAY." 

He  had  planned  to  make  the  event  unusu 
ally  spectacular,  and  the  first  two  stages  of 
the  program  were  carried  out  successfully. 
The  fatality  came  in  the  third.  At  4  o'clock 
the  great  gas  bag  was  full  and  the  balloon  was 
tugging  at  its  anchor.  Moore  stepped  forward 
and  into  the  basket.  The  park  manager,  a 
friend  of  his,  cried  out,  "Don't  be  a  fool.  T<>m, 
why  do  you  want  to  take  such  chances!  Go 


c.j  CALAMITY,  A  REBUKE  285 

on  and  fix  that  life-belt."  The  belt  referred 
to  is  known  as  an  aeronaut's  life-belt  and  all 
careful  balloonists  attach  it  to  a  parachute  be 
fore  making  an  ascent. 

The  warning  seemed  to  amuse  Moore,  a 
handsome,  well-built  chap  of  twenty-five.  He 
laughed  at  his  friend  and  replied,  "That's  all 
right,  Bill,  I  have  been  up  in  the  heavens  hun 
dreds  of  times,  but  I  haven't  been  all  the  way  to 
heaven,  and  won't  go  there  today." 

Then  turning  to  Gillen  who  was  with  him, 
he  said,  "Get  into  the  basket."  But,  Gillen  was 
more  careful  than  his  partner  and  adjusted 
his  belt  to  the  parachute  before  starting. 

"Let  her  go !"  shouted  Moore,  and  the  bal 
loon  shot  to  an  altitude  of  3,000  feet ;  then  the 
wind  caught  it  and  it  was  blown  to  the  west, 
only  to  be  caught  in  another  current  of  air  and 
carried  back  over  the  park. 

The  crowds  could  see  two  men  adjusting 
parachutes.  Gillen  told  how  he  had  parted 
from  Moore.  "I  told  him  to  adjust  his  life 
belt,  but  he  wouldn't.  He  said  he  knew  his 
business  too  well  to  make  any  mistake.  My 
parachute  opened  nicely  before  I  had  dropped 
more  than  TOO  or  200  feet.  Tom  re 
leased  his  first  parachute  and  there  came 


286    TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

a  drop  for  him,  but  the  second  parachute 
opened  all  right.  I  saw  him  release  the  second 
parachute,  and  fall  with  the  red,  white  and 
blue  one.  He  was  1,000  feet  up.  He 
al.-o  opened  the  third  parachute.  The  next  in 
stant  I  was  almost  paralyzed  by  a  terrific  shriek 
and  Tom's  body  shot  by  me.  His  hold  was 
broken  on  the  third  parachute  and  not  being 
attached  to  it  by  a  life-belt  he  fell." 

Panic  seized  the  spectators  and  women 
and  children  made  for  the  gates,  shrieking,  and 
falling  over  one  another.  The  balloon  crashed 
into  a  field  half  a  mile  away.  Moore  was  still 
breathing.  He  had  jumped  from  so  many 
dizzy  heights  he  had  become  defiant  of  the  laws 
of  nature  and  God  made  him  an  example  of 
His  wrath  to  the  thousands  who  witnessed  his 
fall. 

Wilbur  Wright  who  constructed  the  aero 
plane  that  made  him  famous  on  both  sides  of 
the  Atlantic,  when  in  France  was  requested  by 

the  President  to  take  his  machine  out  on  Sun- 

i 

day,  but  refused  on  the  ground  that  he  was  not 
a  Sabbath  'desecrater.  Mr.  Wright,  I  have 
1  een  informed,  had  a  Christian  father,  which 
accounts  for  his  maintaining  true  principles, 
even  after  he  was  known  as  a  great  invent"!-. 


CALAMITY,  A  REBUKE  287 

He  died  a  natural  death  a  short  time  ago  as  the 
result  of  fever,  with  no  stain  of  presumption 
on  his  character. 

For  many  years  Count  Zeppelin  has  been 
building  airships,  many  of  which  have  been 
destroyed  by  storm  or  by  fire.  Only  recently 
one  was  blown  out  to  sea  by  a  hurricane  and 
wrecked,  fifteen  men  or  about  two-thirds  of 
the  crew,  losing  their  lives. 

During  the  past  few  years  the  German 
people  have  been  almost  carried  away  by  the 
thought  of  gaining  supremacy  in  air  naviga 
tion,  picturing  in  their  imagination,  a  fleet  of 
air  vessels  carrying  guns  and  deadly  bombs, 
threatening  death  and  destruction  to  their 
enemies. 

"Once  more,  and  for  the  seventh  time,  a 
terrible  disaster  has  overtaken  a  German  diri 
gible  airship.  The  great  Zeppelin  aerial  war 
ship,  'L-2'  exploded  a  few  minutes  after  leav 
ing  the  Johannisthal  aerodome  at  10:15  this 
morning  (Oct.  I7th),  carrying  to  death 
twenty-seven  of  the  twenty-eight  persons  on 
board.  The  one  survivor  died  tonight. 

"On  leaving  its  shed  the  airship  ascended 
about  900  feet.  The  crowds  that  had  assem 
bled  to  witness  the  trial  trip  of  this  latest  ad- 


X 

c 

t- 1 
Cfl 

£ 

- 


- 

— 
— 
H 

W 

£ 

< 


CALAMITY,  A  REBUKE  289 

clition  to  the  German  Navy  cheered  as  the  mon 
ster — 525  feet  long  and  of  820  horse  power — 
rose  in  the  air. 

"Suddenly  as  they  watched  they  were  hor 
rified  to  observe  an  explosion,  and  a  mighty 
pillar  of  flame  burst  from  the  balloon.  In  an 
instant  the  entire  structure  was  enveloped,  and 
turning  end  on,  the  airship  plunged  to  the  earth 
a  mass  of  burning  canvas  and  molten  alumi 
num." 

In  spite  of  all  the  accidents  that  have  oc 
curred  and  the  lives  that  have  been  lost  the 
German  Emperor  advises  that  there  be  no  ces 
sation  of  efforts  in  perfecting  the  air  warships. 
The  Bible  speaks  about  the  nations'  being  mad 
(Jer.  51 17),  and  it  is  evident  that  Germany  is 
mad, — crazed  with  a  lust  for  power  and  su 
premacy.  This  spirit  is  back  of  its  army,  its 
navy,  its  Imperators  and  its  air  warships,  and 
therefore  God  says,  "Behold,  I  am  against  thee, 
O  thou  most  proud,  saith  the  Lord  God  of 
hosts :  for  thy  day  is  come,  the  time  that  I  will 
visit  thee.  And  the  most  proud  shall  stumble 
and  fall,  and  none  shall  raise  him  up:  and  I 
will  kindle  a  fire  in  his  cities,  and  it  shall  devour 
all  round  about  him." 

TRUTH — 19. 


CHAPTER  XV 
THE  NATIONS  COMING  TO  A  CRISIS 

As  the  world  hastens  on  to  a  crisis  and  we 
see  the  multitudes  thronging  the  broad  road, 
we  tremble  for  those  who  are  at  ease  in  Zion. 
God's  plan  to  save  souls  and  enlighten  the  na 
tions  is  through  human  instrumentality.  But 
how  few  people  are  willing  to  sacrifice  their 
own  lives  to  save  others!  When  Jesus  hung 
on  the  cross,  His  persecutors  said,  "He  saved 
others ;  himself  he  cannot  save"  ( Mark  15:31), 
and  how  true  this  was.  If  He  had  tried  to 
"save  himself,  the  plan  of  redemption  would 
have  been  defeated.  He  could  not  have  been 
made  an  offering  for  sin  had  He  not  been 
willing  to  lose  His  life,  and  so  it  is  with  His 
true  followers.  If  they  would  save  others, 
themselves  they  cannot  save. 

One  who  leaps  overboard  to  save  a  drown 
ing  man  risks  his  own  life,  but  there  are  those 
who  dare  to  do  it.  If  people  would  rescue  per 
ishing  souls  they  must  risk  all.  The  great  sea 
of  humanity  is  in  awful  turmoil,  and  souls  un 
conscious  of  their  peril  are  going  down  to  eter- 


THE  NATIONS  COMING  TO  A  CRISIS     291 

nal  woe.  Multitudes  stand  by  and  refuse  to 
lend  a  helping  hand.  They  consider  the  sac 
rifice  too  great,  and  many  confer  with  flesh 
and  blood  and  let  their  opportunities  pass. 
Such  persons  will  be  confronted  at  the  Judg 
ment  by  those  whom  it  was  possible  for  them 
to  have  saved.  To  become  a  soul-saver  means 
to  sacrifice  the  comforts  of  life  and  to  be  a 
pilgrim  and  a  stranger  on  the  earth.  No  one 
can  travel  the  Calvary  route  and  live  in  luxury 
and  ease.  It  will  mean  privation  and  suffer 
ing  such  as  the  Master  endured,  but  to  suffer 
\vith  Christ  means  to  share  His  riches  in  glory 
and  to  have  a  house  not  made  with  hands  eter 
nal  in  the  heavens. 

Oh  that  we  could  draw  men  away  from 
their  own  little  surroundings  and  enable  them 
to  comprehend  the  purpose  for  which  they  were 
created!  They  would  think  less  of  their  own 
lives  and  of  the  trifling  things  that  occupy 
so  much  time  and  attention.  The  need  of  op 
pressed  and  downtrodden  humanity  is  so  great 
it  demands  all  the  time  and  strength  of  those 
who  are  willing  to  put  themselves  on  record 
as  true  servants  of  the  Lord.  But  strange  to 
say  the  welfare  of  the  human  race,  polluted  as 
it  is  by  sin,  concerns  but  little  the  vast  multi- 


292    TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

tude  of  professed  Christians  today  who  have 
a  name  to  live  and  are  dead.  Such  persons  are 
at  ease  in  Zion  and  vainly  imagine  they  will 
escape  the  wrath  of  a  just  God.  John  3:16 
says,  "For  God  so  loved  the  world,  that  He 
gave  His  only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  be- 
lieveth  in  him  should  not  perish,  but  have  ever 
lasting  life."  This  passage  is  quoted  more  than 
any  other  in  the  New  Testament  and  God  has 
a  purpose  in  this.  He  wants  His  children  to 
understand  that  He  loves  every  lost  soul  of 
Adam's  race  and  that  the  life  blood  of  His 
Son  has  paid  the  redemption  price. 

"HOW  SHALL  WE  ESCAPE?" 

How  shall  we  escape  if  we  neglect  so  great 
salvation  and  refuse  to  help  save  others  after 
\ve  ourselves  have  been  saved  from  sin.  Oh 
that  blind  eyes  could  be  opened  and  deaf  ears 
unstopped  so  that  the  cries  of  the  lost  could  be 
heard  by  those  who  have  it  within  their  power 
to  rescue  them!  Multitudes  are  mangled  and 
bruised  by  the  Fall  and  unable  to  reach  a  place 
of  safety  without  help.  Where  is  the  good  Sa 
maritan  who  will  bind  up  their  wounds  and 
take  them  to  an  inn  (true  Church)  where  they 
can  be  refreshed  by  the  wine  and  oil  of  the 
kingdom!  It  will  cost  something  to  do  this. 


THE  NATIONS  COMING  TO  A  CRISIS     293 

The  Good  Samaritan  walked  while  the 
wounded  man  was  placed  upon  his  own  beast. 
He  also  furnished  the  inn-keeper  with  money 
to  provide  for  him  and  thus  we  see  that  he 
had  to  deny  himself  to  rescue  one  who  was 
ready  to  die.  How  few  people  are  willing  to 
give  of  their  substance!  The  best  is  always 
reserved  for  self.  They  see  others  without 
the  comforts  of  life  and  say,  Be  thou  warmed 
and  clothed,  but  they  are  unwilling  to  disturb 
their  own  pocketbooks.  Whatever  such  per 
sons  may  profess,  they  will  find  when  it  is  too 
late  that  they  have  missed  the  mark  entirely 
and  made  their  beds  in  hell. 

How  few  there  are  who  give  from  the 
heart!  There  are  those  who  will  make  gifts, 
if  in  so  doing  they  will  receive  the  praise  of 
men,  or  in  other  words,  use  their  gifts  as  a 
means  of  gratifying  the  pride  of  their  own 
hearts.  God  will  not  receive  such  offerings. 
They  send  forth  a  stinking  savor  and  are  like 
dead  flies  in  the  ointment.  Many  make  ex 
cuses  because  they  claim  they  have  no  gifts  or 
talents  that  could  be  used  in  soul-saving  work. 
They  pass  judgment  upon  themselves,  contrary 
t<»  the  word  of  God,  who  has  said  that  He 
chooses  the  weak  things  and  the  foolish  and  the 


TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN   FICTION 

base  things  of  the  world  to  confound  the 
mighty.  Mo  one,  without  divine  illumination,  is 
capable  of  judging  himself  and  lias  no  more 
right  to  do  so  than  to  pass  judgment  upon  oth 
ers.  Moses  made  a  great  mistake  when  he 
complained  of  his  slowness  of  speech  and  told 
the  Lord  he  was  not  eloquent.  God  said,  "\Vh« » 
hath  made  man's  mouth?"  and  His  anger  was 
kindled  against  Moses.  How  many  persons 
today  are  bringing  down  the  wrath  of  God  on 
their  heads  for  refusing  to  obey  when  He  com 
mands  ! 

BUT  FEW  WILL  PRAY 

Oh  that  the  Lord  would  send  a  religious 
awakening  over  the  land  that  would  arouse  the 
nation  from  its  sleep  of  death  and  bring  the 
people  to  repentance!  If  the  forebodings  of 
some  great  calamity  could  be  seen  and  felt, 
many  no  doubt  would  betake  themselves  to 
prayer  as  the  people  did  in  Nineveh  of  old.  If 
people  do  not  repent  quickly  the  tribulation 
judgments  will  burst  in  fury  upon  the  nations. 
If  they  would  begin  to  pray,  marvelous  things 
might  take  place.  The  old  denominations  quit 
praying  many  years  ago,  and  thus  calamity 
has  been  invited  and  divine  retribution  is  near 
at  hand.  Onlv  here  and  there  a  few  de- 


THE  NATIONS  COMING  TO  A  CRISIS     295 

vout  souls  may  be  found  who  actually   pray. 

The  banner  of  holiness  has  long  been 
trailed  in  the  dust.  The  garments  that  werf 
once  the  habiliments  of  saints  are  everywhere 
besmirched  with  the  sins  of  the  flesh.  Are 
there  no  weeping  prophets  that  will  take  up  a 
lamentation  over  the  apostate  condition  of 
Christendom  today,  who  will  weep  between  the 
porch  and  the  altar  until  God  sees  fit  to  rend 
the  heavens  and  take  away  the  reproach  ?  Ver 
ily  He  hath  not  spoken  in  vain,  and  every  jot 
and  tittle  of  His  word  will  be  fulfilled.  Isaiah 
says,  "And  they  shall  go  into  the  holes  of  the 
rocks,  and  into  the  caves  of  the  earth,  for  fear 
of  the  Lord,  and  for  the  glory  of  his  majesty, 
when  he  ariseth  to  shake  terribly  the  earth." 

There  are  a  few  faithful  witnesses  who 
dare  to  lift  up  the  standard  and  cry  out  against 
sin  and  never  was  there  greater  demand  for 
Christian  heroism  than  now.  It  encourages 
the  heart  to  see  one  who  has  actually  been  de 
livered  from  the  fear  of  men  in  the  midst 
of  this  wicked  and  sinful  generation,  boldly  de 
claring  the  whole  counsel  of  God.  The  Pillar 
of  Fire  is  in  the  breach  to  be  a  witness  to  the 
nations  in  these  last  days.  A  crisis  has  come. 
There  is  no  time  to  fold  the  arms  and  sit  down. 


296    TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

In  order  to  save  one's  own  life  one  must  risk 
his  life  for  others.  Those  who  are  intimidated 
by  opposing  forces  will  sink  beneath  the  waves 
to  rise  no  more.  Faith  as  a  grain  of  mustard 
seed  will  remove  mountains  of  difficulty  and 
enable  one  to  triumph  when  all  is  dark  without. 
The  Christian  warrior  wages  a  mighty  bat 
tle.  He  is  not  engaged  in  a  conflict  by  which 
he  expects  to  obtain  an  earthly  crown  or  king 
dom.  He  looks  upon  the  things  of  this  world 
as  trifling  and  transient.  He  is  working  in 
behalf  of  his  soul's  eternal  interest,  and  those 
things  that  will  endure  through  a  never-end 
ing  eternity.  He  sees  the  goal  at  the  end  of 
the  race  and  exercises  all  of  his  faculties  in  try 
ing  to  make  his  calling  and  election  sure.  With 
the  spirit  of  the  martyrs  he  counts  not  his  life 
dear  and  is  just  as  willing  to  glorify  God  by 
his  death  as  by  his  life.  In  a  world  of  vanity 
and  pride  where  men  love  luxury,  ease  and 
pleasure  there  are  no  attractions  for  him.  As 
did  Abraham  he  seeks  a  city  which  hath  foun 
dations  whose  builder  and  maker  is  (i»d. 


CHAPTER  XVI 
THE  SIN  AGAINST  THE  HOLY  GHOST 

The  unpardonable  sin  is  committed  when 
people  attribute  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
to  the  devil.  In  the  sight  of  God  there  could 
be  no  greater  crime,  and  where  people  do  this 
wilfully  it  merits  damnation.  This  is  a  fearful 
penalty,  but  the  scripture  says,  ''Shall  not  the 
Judge  of  all  the  earth  do  right?"  (Gen.  18:25). 

Jesus  was  accused  by  ungodly  men  of  hav 
ing  an  unclean  spirit.  This  was  virtually 
calling  the  third  Person  of  the  Trinity  a  devil. 
It  is  not  uncommon  to  hear  the  same  thing  of 
the  ambassadors  of  Christ;  hypocritical  pro 
fessors  are  often  reckless  in  their  denuncia 
tions  of  God's  anointed.  This  is  nothing  less 
than  blasphemy,  yet  they  are  not  aware  of  their 
danger. 

i  John  5:16  says,  "If  any  man  see  his 
brother  sin  a  sin  which  is  not  unto  death,  he 
shall  ask,  and  he  shall  give  him  life  for  them 
that  sin  not  unto  death.  There  is  a  sin  unto 
death :  I  do  not  say  that  he  shall  pray  for  it." 
It  is  useless  to  pray  for  one  who  has  committed 


298     TRUTH   STKAM.I.K  THAN  FICTION 

the  sin  unto  death,  and  it  is  often  made  mani 
fest  to  those  who  are  spiritual.  "For  the 
Spirit  searcheth  all  things,  yea,  the  deep  things 
of  God.  For  what  man  knoweth  the  tlii 
of  man,  save  the  spirit  of  man  which  is  in  hiir  ? 
even  so  the  things  of  God  knoweth  no  man. 
but  the  Spirit  of  God"  (i  Cor.  2:10-11). 

The  idea  seems  to  prevail  that  one  can 
say  or  do  almost  anything  against  a  child  of 
God  and  not  be  held  responsible  for  it,  but 
there  could  be  no  greater  folly.  I  Cor.  6:i<i 
says,  "Know  ye  not  that  your  body  is  the  tem 
ple  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  which  is  in  you?"  God's 
Holy  Spirit  works  through  human  instrumen 
talities,  hence  the  danger  of  fighting  against 
them.  There  are  ample  scriptures  to  prove 
this  argument.  2  Cor.  6:16  says,  "For  ye  a  Ti 
the  temple  of  the  living  God;  as  God  hath  said, 
I  will  dwell  in  them,  and  walk  in  them;  and  I 
will  be  their  God,  and  they  shall  be  my  people." 

Many  are  committing  the  sin  against  the 
Holy  Spirit.  Often  without  hesitation  people 
denounce  the  child  Ten  of  God  in  the  strongest 
terms,  and  at  the  same  time  imagine  that  they 
are  dealing  with  man  alone.  They  forget  that 
the  Scriptures  say,  "He  therefore  that  despis- 
eth,  despiseth  not  man,  but  God,  who  hath  also 


THE  SIN  AGAINST  THE  HOLY  GHOST  299 

given  unto  us  his  Holy  Spirit"  (i  Thess.  4:8). 
Also,  "Inasmuch  as  ye  have  done  it  unto  one 
of  the  least  of  these  my  brethren,  ye  have  done 
it  unto  me"  (Matt.  25:40). 

As  a  rule,  those  who  have  committed  the 
unpardonable  sin  do  not  live  long.  After 
God's  Spirit  ceases  to  strive  with  them  they 
are  turned  over  to  the  devil,  and  sudden  calam 
ity  or  'death  overtakes  them.  The  day  of 
mercy  is  past  and  their  probationary  life  is 
ended. 

If  Satan  cannot  drive  people  hastily  be 
yond  the  reach  of  mercy  he  tries  a  gradual 
process,  leading  them  on  from  bad  to  worse, 
until  they  take  the  step  that  cuts  off  their  last 
chance  for  eternal  life.  The  conscience  be 
comes  seared,  and  truths  that  once  made  an 
impression  upon  their  heart  no  longer  affect 
them  in  the  least. 

I  remember  distinctly  the  time  when  the 
Holy  Spirit  revealed  to  me  that  some  one  had 
committed  the  unpardonable  sin.  This  was  in 
a  city  in  Iowa  where  my  brother  and  myself 
were  holding  a  tent  meeting.  On  a  Sunday 
evening  the  Holy  Spirit  gave  me  a  burning 
message  on  the  near  coming  of  the  Lord,  and 
the  tribulation  judgments.  All  available  space 


300    TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

\\as  taken  on  the  inside,  and  hundreds  were 
gathered  about  the  tent  on  the  outside.  My 
whole  being  trembled  under  the  pressure  of 
the  Spirit.  There  were  a  number  of  clergy 
men  in  attendance,  among  them  a  Methodist 
Presiding  Elder,  whom  I  observed  weeping 
when  the  awful  judgments  of  God  were 
being  thundered  in  the  ears  of  the  people. 

There  were  those  present  who  had  tried  to 
make  a  disturbance,  but  the  Spirit  of  God  took 
hold  of  them  and  they  were  powerless  to  pro 
ceed  further.  For  nearly  an  hour  the  congre 
gation  was  held  under  the  spell  of  the  Gospel. 
Words  are  inadequate  to  describe  the  scene  as 
volley  after  volley  from  the  heavenly  batteries 
was  poured  out  upon  them.  Instantly  it  was 
revealed  to  me  that  some  one  near  by  was  sin 
ning  against  the  Holy  Spirit.  I  said,  "There  is 
some  one  here  tonight  who  is  fighting  against 
God  and  sealing  his  doom  for  eternity." 

Then  I  called  out  to  a  physician  who  had 
invited  my  brother  and  myself  to  hold  this 
meeting,  saying,  "Doctor  1) — ,  when  you  hear 
of  some  one's  dying  suddenly,  who  i<  present 
tonight,  will  you  kindlv  write  me  about  it?'' 
He  said,  "I  will." 

On  leaving  the  tent  that  night  this  man 


THE  SIN  AGAINST  THE  HOLY  GHOST  301 

was  accosted. by  another  physician,  who  said, 
"Doctor  D — ,  you  seem  to  be  carried  away  with 
this  fanaticism.  If  you  keep  on,  your  instru 
ments  will  soon  -be  up  for  sale,  and  you  will  be 
going  with  these  people." 

We  went  to  another  meeting  from  this 
place.  When  I  reached  home  a  letter  was 
awaiting  me  from  Dr.  D — ,  telling  of  the  sud 
den  death  of  the  physician  with  whom  he  had 
had  the  foregoing  conversation.  He  had 
dropped  on  the  street,  was  carried  to  his 
office  and  expired  a  few  minutes  later.  Short 
ly  afterwards  his  instruments  were  ad 
vertised  for  sale.  "He,  that  being  often  re 
proved  hardeneth  his  neck,  shall  suddenly  be 
destroyed,  and  that  without  remedy"  (Prov. 
29:1). 

This  is  only  one  link  in  the  chain  of  trag 
ical  events  in  which  God  has  sent  judgments 
upon  those  who  have  rejected  His  messages, 
rebelled  against  Him,  and  attributed  the  work 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  to  the  devil. 

There  is  another  way  to  sin  against  the 
Holy  Ghost,  which  may  be  illustrated  by  the 
following  incident.  In  my  early  ministry,  a 
man  fifty-five  years  old,  came  to  the  altar  as  a 
seeker  of  salvation.  He  was  there  eleven 


302     TRUTH  S  u  THAN  Fin 

nights  in  succession.  Xo  one,  apparently,  had 
any  Imrdcn  for  him,  and  none  of  the  Christian 
workers  talked  or  prayed  with  any  real  interest 
f<>r  his  soul.  1  asked  him  it"  P.e  knew  why  this 
was.  He  seemed  to  know  the  reason  and  said, 
"When  I  was  a  young  man,  I  attended  revival 
meetings,  and  there  were  lien  the  Spirit 

so  greatly  moved  me  it  was  almost  impossible 
to  hold  out.  lint  1  did,  persistently  refusing  to 
yield.  I  thought  I  would  wait  until  1  wa»  fnrty- 
five,  and  then  I  would  be  settled  in  life  and  it 
would  be  an  easy  matter  to  serve  the  Lord 

When  I  was  between  forty  and  fifty  years 
of  age  the  Holy  Spirit  again  approached  me 
and  I  felt  Him  trying  to  soften  my  heart,  but 
it  would  have  been  much  harder  for  me  to  have 
yielded  at  that  time  than  it  would  have  been 
years  before.  Feeling  but  little  inclined  to 
serve  the  Lord  I  made  up  my  mind  to  wait 
ten  years  longer  and  here  I  am  today  with 
my  heart  as  hard  as  adamant.  I  have  no  convic 
tion  and  no  feeling  about  the  matter  whatever. 
I  am  simply  here  because  I  felt  it  was  my  duty 
to  come.  I  believe  I  have  sinned  away  the  day 
of  grace,  and  that  there  is  no'hope  for  me." 

I  told  him  that  there  might  be  a  chance 
in  a  thousand  for  him,  and  that  I  would  advise 


THE  SIN  AGAINST  THE  HOLY  GHOST  303 

him  to  cry  mightily  to  God  to  send  the  Holy 
Spirit  back  to  him.  I  begged  him  to  pray 
without  ceasing  and  to  fast,  but  he  said, 
"I  have  no  strength  within  me  to  perse 
vere."  And  this  was  true.  Nothing  I  could 
say  or  do  had  any  effect  upon  him,  and  the 
meeting  closed  leaving  him  without  hope  in  his 
lost  condition. 

Later,  in  a  revival  meeting  at  H , 

Colorado,  I  told  the  story  of  this  man, 
and  God  mightily  used  it  in  putting  conviction 
upon  the  people.  I  predicted  that  he  would 
be  cut  off  suddenly.  And  on  Saturday  morn 
ing,  only  two  days  later,  I  read  the  following 
account  in  a  Denver  newspaper  of  his  being 
stricken. 

"F—  -  K — ,  a  well-to-do  farmer,  living 
near  L —  C — ,  attended  a  revival  meeting 
Friday  evening.  On  his  way  hotne,  a  blood 
vessel  burst  on  his  brain.  The  physicians  say 
he  will  die." 

Mr.  K —  lived  two  weeks  after  he  was 
stricken,  and  only  once  during  this  time  was 
he  rational.  He  called  for  a  certain  preacher 
who,  it  was  said,  had  been  in  a  backslidden 
state  for  many  years.  Of  course  he  received 


304     TRUTH  STRANGER  THAN  FICTION 

no  spiritual  help,  and  finally  breathed  his  last 
without  God  and  without  hope. 

Oh,  if  people  only  knew  what  hell  will  be 
to  a  lost  soul  they  certainly  would  be  careful 
how  they  criticize  the  children  of  God!  The 
fight  of  the  devil  is  against  the  Holy  Spirit, 
and  those  witli  whom  He  abides.  Matt.  12: 
41-42  says,  "The  men  of  Nineveh  shall  rise  in 
judgment  with  this  generation  and  shall  con 
demn  it:  because  they  repented  at  the  preach 
ing  of  Jonas ;  and,  behold,  a  greater  than  Jonas 
is  here.  The  queen  of  the  south  shall  rise  up 
in  the  judgment  with  this  generation,  and  shall 
condemn  it:  for  she  came  from  the  uttermost 
parts  of  the  earth  to  hear  the  wisdom  of  Sol 
omon;  and,  behold,  a  greater  than  Solomon  is 
here."  To  harden  the  heart  is  spiritual  suicide 
and  people  are  in  danger  of  doing  this  every 
time  a  message  is  delivered  under  the  inspira 
tion  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

Multitudes  will  have  to  face  the  Great 
Tribunal,  who  have  committed  the  sin  against 
the  Holy  Ghost.  It  is  perilous  for  one  to  know 
that  God  is  speaking  through  lips  of  clay  and 
then  not  have  the  courage  of  his  convictions. 
God  looks  upon  the  heart  and  makes  no  mis 
take.  He  knows  who  is  accountable  and  will 


deal  with  them  accordingly.  I  Cor.  12:3  says, 
"Wherefore  I  give  you  to  understand,  that  no 
man  speaking  by  the  Spirit  of  God  calleth  Jesus 
accursed :  and  that  no  man  can  say  that  Jesus 
is  the  Lord,  but  by  the  Holy  Ghost."  When  a 
person  sins  wilfully  against  the  Holy  Ghost  he 
is  cut  off  forever. 

Reader,  we  beg  of  you  to  take  warning, 
and  not  place  yourself  in  a  position  where  you 
will  be  left  to  die  in  your  sins. 

TRUTH — 20. 


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